diff --git a/core/jni/android_database_SQLiteConnection.cpp b/core/jni/android_database_SQLiteConnection.cpp
index 1efff7f8b0fbe..c4c896e0a8b56 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_database_SQLiteConnection.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_database_SQLiteConnection.cpp
@@ -210,7 +210,8 @@ static void sqliteCustomFunctionCallback(sqlite3_context *context,
 
     // Get the callback function object.
     // Create a new local reference to it in case the callback tries to do something
-    // dumb like unregister the function (thereby destroying the global ref) while it is running.
+    // unexpected like unregister the function (thereby destroying the global ref)
+    // while it is running.
     jobject functionObjGlobal = reinterpret_cast<jobject>(sqlite3_user_data(context));
     jobject functionObj = env->NewLocalRef(functionObjGlobal);
 
diff --git a/core/jni/android_media_AudioSystem.cpp b/core/jni/android_media_AudioSystem.cpp
index 541b937860c3f..8411ecaef7992 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_media_AudioSystem.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_media_AudioSystem.cpp
@@ -936,7 +936,7 @@ static jint convertAudioPortConfigFromNative(JNIEnv *env,
         if (jHandle == NULL) {
             return (jint)AUDIO_JAVA_ERROR;
         }
-        // create dummy port and port config objects with just the correct handle
+        // create placeholder port and port config objects with just the correct handle
         // and configuration data. The actual AudioPortConfig objects will be
         // constructed by java code with correct class type (device, mix etc...)
         // and reference to AudioPort instance in this client
diff --git a/core/jni/android_net_NetUtils.cpp b/core/jni/android_net_NetUtils.cpp
index e56809f66dc71..7d6135bda9c6c 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_net_NetUtils.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_net_NetUtils.cpp
@@ -93,9 +93,10 @@ static void android_net_utils_attachDropAllBPFFilter(JNIEnv *env, jobject clazz,
 
 static void android_net_utils_detachBPFFilter(JNIEnv *env, jobject clazz, jobject javaFd)
 {
-    int dummy = 0;
+    int optval_ignored = 0;
     int fd = jniGetFDFromFileDescriptor(env, javaFd);
-    if (setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_DETACH_FILTER, &dummy, sizeof(dummy)) != 0) {
+    if (setsockopt(
+            fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_DETACH_FILTER, &optval_ignored, sizeof(optval_ignored)) != 0) {
         jniThrowExceptionFmt(env, "java/net/SocketException",
                 "setsockopt(SO_DETACH_FILTER): %s", strerror(errno));
     }
diff --git a/core/jni/android_os_Debug.cpp b/core/jni/android_os_Debug.cpp
index 1037713c6af9f..a96ea7b692ab6 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_os_Debug.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_os_Debug.cpp
@@ -913,7 +913,7 @@ int register_android_os_Debug(JNIEnv *env)
 {
     jclass clazz = env->FindClass("android/os/Debug$MemoryInfo");
 
-    // Sanity check the number of other statistics expected in Java matches here.
+    // Check the number of other statistics expected in Java matches here.
     jfieldID numOtherStats_field = env->GetStaticFieldID(clazz, "NUM_OTHER_STATS", "I");
     jint numOtherStats = env->GetStaticIntField(clazz, numOtherStats_field);
     jfieldID numDvkStats_field = env->GetStaticFieldID(clazz, "NUM_DVK_STATS", "I");
diff --git a/core/jni/android_os_Parcel.cpp b/core/jni/android_os_Parcel.cpp
index 7247ee068334b..40a3eced91b1f 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_os_Parcel.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_os_Parcel.cpp
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ static jbyteArray android_os_Parcel_createByteArray(JNIEnv* env, jclass clazz, j
     if (parcel != NULL) {
         int32_t len = parcel->readInt32();
 
-        // sanity check the stored length against the true data size
+        // Validate the stored length against the true data size
         if (len >= 0 && len <= (int32_t)parcel->dataAvail()) {
             ret = env->NewByteArray(len);
 
diff --git a/core/jni/android_util_Binder.cpp b/core/jni/android_util_Binder.cpp
index 1da022c11420a..16367ae759e78 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_util_Binder.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_util_Binder.cpp
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@ static jlong android_os_Binder_clearCallingIdentity()
 
 static void android_os_Binder_restoreCallingIdentity(JNIEnv* env, jobject clazz, jlong token)
 {
-    // XXX temporary sanity check to debug crashes.
+    // XXX temporary validation check to debug crashes.
     int uid = (int)(token>>32);
     if (uid > 0 && uid < 999) {
         // In Android currently there are no uids in this range.
diff --git a/core/jni/android_view_InputQueue.cpp b/core/jni/android_view_InputQueue.cpp
index 24c3ff80badd1..70a9be740810b 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_view_InputQueue.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_view_InputQueue.cpp
@@ -176,8 +176,8 @@ void InputQueue::enqueueEvent(InputEvent* event) {
     Mutex::Autolock _l(mLock);
     mPendingEvents.push(event);
     if (mPendingEvents.size() == 1) {
-        char dummy = 0;
-        int res = TEMP_FAILURE_RETRY(write(mDispatchWriteFd, &dummy, sizeof(dummy)));
+        char payload = '\0';
+        int res = TEMP_FAILURE_RETRY(write(mDispatchWriteFd, &payload, sizeof(payload)));
         if (res < 0 && errno != EAGAIN) {
             ALOGW("Failed writing to dispatch fd: %s", strerror(errno));
         }