3 days ago
These "Untranslatable" Foreign Phrases Have Me Questioning Why English Is So Limited, And I'm About To Call Merriam-Webster
Many of us native English speakers are familiar with (and regularly use) words like "schadenfreude" (German), which don't have a direct English translation, but there are actually a ton of similar words out there.
Recently, @saba posed a question on Twitter (X), asking for examples of words in other languages that "can't be perceived in English," saying "there's a beauty in a word only being understood through the soul." Here are 27 extremely gorgeous, interesting, or just plain useful responses:
1."Saudade"
Related:
2."Ya'aburne"
3."Varen"
4."Backpfeifengesicht"
5."Sayang"
6."فديتك"
7."тоска"
8."نعيما"
Related:
9."Estrenar"
10."Apapacho"
11."Fernweh"
12."Kilig"
13."Gunnen"
Related:
14."Sobremesa"
15."Obhimaan (অভিমান)"
16."Zerliebt"
17."Pasalubong"
18."Hiraeth"
19."Smacznego"
20."Pogodnie"
Related:
21."Koi No Yokan (恋の予感)"
22."Üşenmek"
23."Tương (醬)'
24."Zawiść"
25."Drengskapr"
26."Jhuta (झूठा)"
finally, "tresno"/"katresnan."
Now, I have to know: If you speak a language other than English, do you have any favorite words that don't quite translate over? Let us know in the comments.
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