20 Untranslatable Words You Didn’t Know You Needed

Do you ever find yourself at a loss for words when you’re trying to describe a particular emotion or situation?

The English language has more than a million words in total, but some things just can’t be described in one word alone. But other languages have stepped up to fill in the gaps, neatly summing up even the most obscure experiences, from sipping that first cold beer of the summer, to waking up early just to hear the birds sing.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the untranslatable words you didn’t know you needed. Some are weird, some are hilarious, and many are beautiful.

Untranslatable Words

Without further ado, here are 20 untranslatable words that have no direct counterpart in English.

1. Ya’aburnee (Arabic)

Definition: literally translates to “you bury me,” but is used as an expression of love.

This Arabic term is used to express hope that your loved one will out live you, because you know life would be unbearable without them.

2. Litost (Czech)

Definition: the humiliating despair you feel when someone else’s accomplishment reminds you of everything that’s gone wrong in your own life. (noun)

Litost is something we’ve all felt, if we’re honest; it isn’t quite envy, because the focus isn’t on wanting what someone else has, but on how you are inadequate because you don’t have it.

3. Hyggelig (Danish)

Definition: describes a cozy, safe, warm environment. (adjective)

This Danish word captures the essence of a warm, cozy room, perhaps with a fireplace, as you sip hot cocoa or red wine on a winter evening.

4. Rire dans sa barbe (French)

Definition: the act of laughing in your beard quietly while remembering something funny from the past. (verb)

I don’t have a beard, but I’ve definitely had to stifle giggles while recalling a funny memory… which, in the wrong setting, makes me look like a psychopath… which I guess is why the beard helps.

5. Backpfeifengesicht (German)

Definition: A face in strong need of a slap. (noun)

Be honest: a very specific face just came to mind when you read that definition. My choice for a German word was going to be fernweh (which is when you feel homesick for a place you’ve never been), but I think enough whimsical Pinterest images about wanderlust have taken care of that.

6. Firgun (Hebrew)

Definition: the feeling of joy caused by something good that has happened, or might happen, to someone else. (noun)

This informal Hebrew term used in Israeli culture captures genuine, unselfish joy. Find friends who feel firgun for you.

7. Jayus (Indonesian)

Definition: a lame joke that still elicits genuine laughs, rather than cringes or eye rolls. (noun)

This less sophisticated humor might best be described in English as “dad jokes.” Their awkward delivery or downright silliness is what actually makes them funny.

8. Iktsuarpok (Inuit)

Definition: the frustration of waiting for someone to show up. (noun)

As a chronically punctual person, I know iktsuarpok all too well.

9. Abbiocco (Italian)

Definition: the drowsy, sleepy feeling you get after stuffing yourself with food. (noun)

It doesn’t surprise me at all that Italians made up a word to describe the urge to take a post-lunch nap. When I lived in Rome, it was an unavoidable part of every Sunday afternoon.

10. Mono no aware (Japanese)

Definition: Mono no aware describes a melancholic awareness that all beauty is fleeting, combined with a rich appreciation for such short-lived beauty. (noun)

This term conveys the sadness of beauty’s impermanence, but also a wistful enjoyment of it, whether it’s a blossoming flower, a youthful glow, or a quickly sinking sun.

11. Mokita (Kivila)

Definition: a fact everyone is aware of, but deliberately avoids in conversation. (noun)

In Papua New Guinea, there’s a word for that elephant in the room which everyone politely dances around. Maybe someone lost their job, was cheated on, or is having financial issues—whatever the mokita is, you don’t talk about it.

12. Utepils (Norwegian)

Definition: to enjoy a beer outside on a sunny day. (verb)

Utepils literally translates to “outdoor lager,” but it’s really used to describe the act of sitting outside on a sunny day. Don’t we all want to utepils this summer?

13. Tingo (Pascuense)

Definition: to gradually borrow objects from a friend’s house (without returning them) until they have nothing left. (verb)

It must be hard to trust your neighbor on Easter Island (or people are too trusting).

14. Desenrascanço (Portuguese)

Definition: the ability to improvise a solution, usually at the last minute. (noun)

Highly functional procrastinators know desenrascanço quite well. No folding under pressure here! They make the best with what they’ve got around them and somehow pull it all together.

15. Pochemuchka (Russian)

Definition: a person who asks too many questions. (noun)

We all know a pochemuchka. The term is derived from pochemu, which is Russian for “why.”

16. Sobremesa (Spanish)

Definition: the time you spend socializing and chatting with the people you’ve dined with after a meal. (noun)

Yeah, sobremesa is cool and all, but it really interferes with my post-lunch abbiocco (see # )

17. Gökotta (Swedish)

Definition: to get up early, go outside, and listen to the first birds sing (verb)

It’s easy to see why this very specific act is hard to sum up in one word, but I love that enough Swedes evidently do this to make it one.

18. Kilig (Tagalog)

Definition: that giddy, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling when something romantic happens, or you encounter someone you find attractive. (noun)

Kilig can also be used as an adjective to describe the same feeling, like when you make eye contact with your crush, or experience a first kiss.

19. Ilunga (Tshiluba)

Definition: a person ready to forgive any abuse the first time, tolerate it a second time, but never a third time. (noun)

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me three times, and I’m an ilunga.

20. Hüzün (Turkish)

Definition: the gloomy sense that things are getting worse (usually referring to the state of a nation or community). (noun)

Hüzün might indicate a worsening situation, but there’s often comfort in knowing that the misfortunes are shared collectively.

What Are Untranslatable Words?

An untranslatable word is a word for which there is no direct translation in another language that can adequately capture the original’s full meaning.

The word might be explained with multiple words, as we attempted to do in this post, but there is no single word that captures its essence. When a word is untranslatable, there is what linguists call a lexical gap.

Broaden Your Skills With a Foreign Language

Studying a foreign language is a great way to find inspiration and even expand your vocabulary in your native tongue.

If you find that your language is lacking the words to do a certain emotion or phenomenon justice, sprinkling in foreign words might not always be practical; but, you should still allow yourself to experiment and view things from a new perspective.

And if you’re wondering just how you might make one of your own made-up words official, check out our post on how words get added to the dictionary.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

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