Rolig

Meaning: Actually means 'calm' or 'quiet'. (Confusingly, in Swedish rolig means 'funny' — a false friend between the two Nordic languages too.)

Language: Norwegian

Literally: rowdy

Category: Feelings

Origin: From Old Norse rólegr; Norwegian = calm, Swedish = amusing — even Scandinavians trip on this one.

← Back to False Friends

Loading the full interactive collection…