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Words the world couldn't translate

One a day — komorebi, saudade, hygge, and every feeling English left unnamed.
Love & Longing
Cafuné
the act of running one's fingers through someone's hair
Portuguese
Firgun
wholehearted joy in another's success
Hebrew
Hiraeth 🔊
homesickness mixed with longing for a place that may not exist
Welsh
Kilig
the nervous flutter of excitement and anticipation in romance
Filipino
Mamihlapinatapai
a look shared by two people, each wishing the other to initiate something neither wants to start
Yaghan
Sehnsucht 🔊
yearning; a deep longing for something distant or unattainable
German
Tarab
a state of emotional overwhelm induced by music or song
Arabic
Ya'aburnee
may you bury me
Arabic
Melancholy
Han 🔊
a deep, unresolved ache of the soul; collective sorrow and resentment
Korean
Hüzün 🔊
sorrow, melancholy, or deep grief
Turkish
Kummerspeck 🔊
grief bacon; sorrow fat
German
Litost
a state of torment caused by sudden insight into one's own misery
Czech
Saudade 🔊
a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for something absent or lost
Portuguese
Toska 🔊
a stabbing ache of the soul; longing without object
Russian
Weltschmerz 🔊
world-pain; pain at the state of the world
German
Nature & Light
Friluftsliv
free-air-life
Norwegian
Gökotta
early morning bird-watching walk
Swedish
Komorebi 🔊
sunlight filtering through tree leaves
Japanese
Mångata
the moon's path on water
Swedish
Shinrin-yoku 🔊
forest bathing
Japanese
Yakamoz 🔊
moonlight reflecting on water
Turkish
Yūgen
profound grace lurking in shadow
Japanese
Togetherness & Home
Cwtch 🔊
a cuddle, hug, or safe hiding place
Welsh
Gezelligheid 🔊
the quality of being cozy, congenial, and convivial all at once
Dutch
Hygge 🔊
coziness, warmth, and convivial contentment
Danish
Ilunga
a person who is willing to forgive any betrayal or insult a first time, but never a second
Tshiluba
Jeong 🔊
deep emotional bond; feeling of connection and loyalty
Korean
Mudita
sympathetic joy; delight in others' happiness
Sanskrit
Myötähäpeä
vicarious shame; shame felt on behalf of another
Finnish
Nunchi
eye measure; the ability to read a room
Korean
Querencia
a place where one feels safe and returns to
Spanish
Sobremesa 🔊
over the table
Spanish
Ubuntu 🔊
a person is a person through other people
Zulu
Solitude & Wandering
Boketto
gazing vacantly into the distance
Japanese
Dépaysement 🔊
the state of being removed from one's country or familiar setting
French
Fernweh 🔊
distance-pain; far-ache
German
Hanyauku
the act of walking on tiptoe or moving stealthily through water
Rukwangali
Merak 🔊
a state of carefree contentment mixed with gentle melancholy
Serbian
Uitwaaien 🔊
to blow out; to wind oneself out
Dutch
Waldeinsamkeit 🔊
forest solitude; the feeling of being alone in the woods
German
Time & Impermanence
Estrenar 🔊
to wear or use something for the first time
Spanish
Iktsuarpok
the feeling of anticipation while waiting for someone
Inuktitut
Mono no aware
the pathos of things
Japanese
Natsukashii
nostalgic; longed-for; fondly remembered
Japanese
Torschlusspanik 🔊
gate-closing panic
German
Tretår 🔊
three-thread or three-ply
Swedish
Wabi-sabi 🔊
loneliness and transience; impermanence and imperfection
Japanese
Everyday Delight
Abbiocco
the drowsiness that comes after eating a large meal
Italian
Culaccino
the mark left by a wet glass on a table
Italian
Desenrascanço
the act of getting unstuck or out of a tight spot
Portuguese
Fika 🔊
coffee break with pastry and socializing
Swedish
Fremdschämen 🔊
foreign shame; shame felt on behalf of someone else
German
Gigil
the urge to pinch or squeeze something cute
Filipino
Jayus
a joke so poorly told that you laugh out of pity
Indonesian
Jugaad 🔊
a makeshift arrangement or hack; a quick fix
Hindi
Kefi
a state of high spirits, passion, and joyful abandon
Greek
Lagom 🔊
just the right amount; not too much, not too little
Swedish
Prozvonit
to call through / to ring someone up intentionally and then hang up
Czech
Sprezzatura 🔊
a studied carelessness; the art of making the difficult look effortless
Italian
Tartle
to hesitate when introducing someone whose name you've forgotten
Scots
Utepils
outdoor beer enjoyed in sunshine
Norwegian
Verschlimmbessern 🔊
to make worse by trying to make better
German
Voorpret 🔊
the pleasure of anticipation
Dutch
Inner Life
Dadirri
deep listening; to listen with stillness and patience
Ngangikurunggurr
Duende 🔊
a goblin or mischievous spirit; the sudden grip of artistic possession
Spanish
Fingerspitzengefühl 🔊
fingertip feeling
German
Ikigai 🔊
reason for being; worth of living
Japanese
Meraki
soul, heart, or creative spirit poured into work
Greek
Philotimo
love of honor
Greek
Pochemuchka
a person who asks 'why' all the time
Russian
Schadenfreude 🔊
harm-joy; joy at another's misfortune
German
Sisu 🔊
inner strength; guts; resilience in the face of adversity
Finnish
Sitzfleisch
sitting flesh; the buttocks as a seat of endurance
German
Tsundoku 🔊
pile up and read; a stack of unread books
Japanese
Zugzwang 🔊
compulsion to move; move-constraint
German

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