Untranslatable Words (Part 3)
Here are parts 1 and 2. I have also made other posts featuring untranslatable German and Spanish words.
Arabic: غرفة [ḡurfa] (the amount of water that can be held in one hand), يقبرن [yaqbirna] (literally “may you bury me,” wishing that a loved one outlives you because of life would be unbearable without them)
Bantu: mbuki-mvuki (to spontaneously shed one’s clothing and dance naked in celebration)
Dutch: gezellig (cozy, nice, pleasant, sociable), struisvogelpolitiek (literally “ostrich politics,” an evasive style of politics that fails to address problems by either ignoring them or by creating a false sense of security through ineffective measures)
Finnish: poronkusema (the distance a reindeer can comfortably travel before taking a break, around 7.5 kilometers/4.7 miles)
French: feuillemorte (of the color of a faded, dying leaf), l’appel du vide (literally “the call of the void,” the inexplicable draw of the dangerous and unknown future), noceur (someone who goes to sleep late or not at all, or someone who stays out late to party)
German: Drachenfutter (literally “dragon fodder,” the gift a husband gives a wife when he is trying to make up for bad behavior), Kabelsalat (literally “cable salat,” cable clutter)
Greek: μεράκι (intense passion)
Hungarian: szimpatikus (nice, likeable)
Japanese: ぼけっと [boketto] (gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking about anything), 風物詩 [fūbutsushi] (the things that evoke memories of a particular season)
Hawaiian: ʻakihi (listening to directions and then walking off and promptly forgetting them)
Hindi: जुगाड़ (jugāṛ) (a process or technique that lessens disorder in one’s life, making it easier to manage or more convenient)
Icelandic: tíma (not spending time or money on a specific thing, even if one can afford it)
Indonesian: jayus (a joke so terrible and unfunny it can’t help but make you laugh)
Inuktitut: ᐃᒃᑦᓱᐊᕐᐳᒃ [iktsuarpok] (the act of repeatedly going outside to check if someone is coming)
Italian: commuòvere (to move in a heartwarming way)
Malay: pisan zapra (the time needed to eat a banana)
Norwegian: forelsket (the indescribable feeling of euphoria experienced when falling in love)
Portuguese: nefelibata (literally “cloud-walker,” someone who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams and does not obey societal conventions), saudade (a vague, constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist; a nostalgic longing for someone or something loved and then lost)
Russian: разлюбить (razliubit) (to fall out of love)
Sanskrit: कल्प [kalpa] (the passing of time on a grand cosmological scale)
Scottish Gaelic: sgrìob (the peculiar itchiness that settles on the upper lip before taking a sip of whiskey)
Spanish: cotisuelto (someone who insists on wearing their shirt tails untucked)
Swedish: mångata (the road-like reflection of the moon on the water), smultronställe (literally “place of wild strawberries,” a special place treasured for solace and relaxation, free from stress or sadness), tretår (on its own, “tår” means a cup of coffee, and “patår” is a refill, so a “tretår” is therefore a second refill.)
Tagalog: kilig (to experience shivers and suffer pangs from strong emotions, usually romantic ones)
Ursu: گویا [goyā] (a transporting suspension of disbelief, an “as-if” that feels like reality), ناز [nāz] (the pride and assurance that comes from knowing one is loved unconditionally)
Wagiman: murr-ma (the act of searching for something in the water with only one’s feet)
Welsh: glas wen (literally “blue smile”, meaning sarcastic or mocking), hiraeth (homesickness, nostalgia, or a longing for a place one cannot or will not return to)
Yiddish: לופֿטמענטש [luftmentsh] (literally “air person,” someone who is a bit of a dreamer)
