14 Beautiful Untranslatable Words

1 Apr

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With the worldwide domination of 'hygge', and the increasing prevalence of its little sister 'fika', untranslatable words, particularly from Scandinavia, are rather in vogue. On our little island we are quick to borrow traditions, cuisines and language from other cultures - hence why we haul in our German Christmas trees, enjoy a curry and speak a hybrid latinate-Francophone-Germanic language. It is, in my opinion, what makes us interesting (not to get all Brexit on the subject, of course..).But our quickness to borrow tends to make things all about us - how we can use and adapt it, how it relates to our culture and lives. What I love about some of these untranslatable words is how much they are a part of the place from whence they came. Like the word 'Hanyauku', from a Namibian language, which is the feeling of walking on tip toes across hot sand. That's never a word we would come up with in the British Isles. Similarly, Japan, whose capital Tokyo has more Michelin-star restaurants that Paris and New York combined, has 'Kuidaore' - to eat yourself into bankruptcy.Of course there are many words that have meanings so universal that it is quite a wonder that we haven't adopted them already. There are romantic, soulful words, like 'Mamihlapinatapai' from Tierra del Fuego, which means 'the wordless look between two people who both desire something, yet are equally reluctant to initiate'. The word itself may be a bit of a mouthful, but perhaps it speaks to our British emotional backwardness that this sentiment that we all know so well, has no English name. Similarly, Germany has 'Fernweh' - a homesickness and longing for a place you've never been.Not all these universal words have such sophistication, of course. In Georgian, the word 'Shemomedjamo' means 'to continue eating past the point of being full because the food tastes so good' - I experience this on an almost daily basis, WHY is there no English word for this?! Others include the Filipino word 'Gigil' (the overwhelming urge to squeeze or pinch something very cute) and Sweden's 'Tidsotimist' (a person who is always late because they think they have more time than they have). One of my favourites following a recent trip to the hairdressers is the Japanese word 'Age-otori' - to look worse after a haircut.

Dotted through this post are pictures with other words that I've taken a particular liking to - here's a list of them altogether:

Waldeinsamkeit(German)- the feeling of being alone in the woodsI think we all have our own version of this feeling - and what's so lovely about it is that it will have a slightly different meaning for every different person.Komorebi(Japanese)- sunlight filtering through treesOf course there needs to be a word for this.Mångata(Swedish)- the glimmering, roadlike reflection the moon creates on waterThis is the word that inspired this post. It was so romantic, so evocative, so in tune with nature and the earth - I just loved it.Sobremesa(Spanish)- the time after lunch or dinner spent talking to the people you shared the meal withHow wonderfully Spanish to have a word for this part of communal eating and socialising - it is also one of my favourite parts of a meal (because when the food's there I do have a habit of silently ploughing through it ignoring my companions. Sorry).Tsundoku(Japanese)- the act of buying a book and leaving it unread, often piled together with other unread booksThis is basically the definition of me - this house is brimming with unread books, so I can totally relate. Seriously, this one made even my long suffering boyfriend snort with irony.Meraki(Greek)- to do something with soul creativity and love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your workThis really speaks for itself - it encapsulates everything I love about the maker community and independent, local producers. Well done Greece.Aware(Japanese)- the bittersweetness of a brief and fading moment of transcendent beautyQuite a deep one to end on, but I liked how linked it is to the English meaning of 'aware' - showing how we are all perhaps not so dissimilar.