Send me a word and two characters
[So this is something I put together for the fanfiction workshop I taught last week. The concept is shamelessly ripped off that other prompt post with the unusual words, and the words themselves are shamelessly harvested from all those “words that are impossible to translate into English” lists. I just collected the ones I thought were cool.]
toska (Russian) a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for
mamihlapinatapei (Yagan) the wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start
jayus (Indonesian) a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh
fernweh (German) being homesick for a place you’ve never been
tartle (Scottish) the act of hestitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name
cafuné (Brazillian Portuguese) the act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair
mokita (New Guinean) the truth everyone knows but nobody says
wabi-sabi (Japanese) finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay
dépaysement (French) the feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country
schadenfreude (German) the feeling of pleasure at seeing another’s misfortune
tingo (Pascuense) the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them
l'appel du vide (French) the instinctive urge to jump from high places
embasan (Maguindanaoan) to wear clothes while taking a bath
duende (Spanish) the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person
saudade (Portuguese) the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost
boketto (Japanese) the act of gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking
hygge (Danish) the pleasant, genial, and intimate feeling associated with sitting around a fire in the winter with close friends
pochemuchka (Russian) a person who asks too many questions
packesel (German) the person who’s stuck carrying everyone else’s bags on a trip
ayurnamat (Inuit) the philosophy that there is no reason to worry about the things that can’t be changed
cavoli riscaldati (Italian) the result of attempting to revive an unworkable relationship