In last week’s post we talked about words that do not translate into other languages, including English words that cannot be translated. Today, we talk about words in other languages that cannot be translated into English.
Loskop – Afrikaans – Literally “loose head”; absent minded, forgetful.
Besa – Albanian – A pledge to honor your word.
Samar – Arabic – Staying up late and having fun with friends.
Ya’ Aburnee – Arabic – An emotional declaration and hope that a loved one will outlive you.
Aspaldiko – Basque – The happiness you feel when catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a long time.
Ghodar-dim – Bengali – Literally “horse’s egg,” a sarcastic term for false hope.
Ailyak – Bulgarian – Doing everything calmly and without rushing, while enjoying the experience and life in general.
Re-nao – Chinese – A fun, lively place with an inviting vibe.
Litost – Czech – Torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.
Arbejdsglaede – Danish – (No, I cannot pronounce it.) Literally “work happiness,” the joy you get from having a great job.
Hygge – Danish – The emotional warmth one feels when relaxing in the company of loved ones and getting cozy with blankets and candlelight (rather specific!).
Uitwaaien – Dutch – To go outside, especially in windy weather, to clear one’s mind.
Epibreren – Dutch – To give the appearance of being busy and important when in reality you are being really lazy.
Leilviskaja – Estonian – Someone who throws water on hot rocks to make steam in a sauna (someone has to do it!).
Poronkusema – Finnish – The distance a reindeer can comfortably travel without having to stop for a potty break.
Shemomedjamo – Georgian – Describes someone who is full, but continues to eat. (Who?Me?)
Schnapsidee – German – Brilliant ideas that originate when one is intoxicated.
Tsundoku – Japanese – Hoarding books and never reading them (Who? Me?).
Gattara – Italian – A woman who has many cats and enjoys their company more than she does humans. In other words, a crazy cat lady.
Kummerspeck – (German) – Translates into “grief bacon.” Weight gained because of excessive eating when one is depressed.
Gigil – Tagalog – A situation of overwhelming cuteness.
Fascinating!
Gilgil!
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I love tsundoku! Thank you for this great list. I’d like to nominate two more words. The first is “agita”. I thought this word was Italian until I studied Italian and discovered that my teacher, a native speaker, never heard of it. Instead, I’ll describe it as “New Jersey Italian”. Except I heard that some people thought it was Yiddish, which it isn’t. It is definitely New Jersey. The meaning: “Heartburn or some other form of upset produced by an annoying (or worse) person or situation.”
The second is Yiddish — “chutzpah”. This loosely translates as “nerve”, as in, “She had the chutzpah to claim she fixed the situation when she was the one who provoked it. She gives me agita.”
Thanks for the additions. Chutzpah I am very familiar with, but agita?? Good one!