35 untranslatable words from around the world including Finnish Hyppytyynytyydytys and Italian Attaccabottoni

There are billions of words used by people across the world. Some of these words and their meanings can be translated into many different languages so that they can be universally understood and spoken about in many mother tongues.

There are some words, however, which are unique to the country they originated from, or the community they belong to. Below, we’ve rounded up 35 of the best expressions from around the globe for which we have no English equivalent. We have, however, tried to explain them the best we can. Take a look through our list and see which words you might like to learn and start using in your everyday life.

Besa

Meaning: A pledge to honour your word and therefore keep a promise you have made.

Origin: Albanian

Samar

Meaning: Staying up late after the sun has gone down to enjoy quality time with friends. Samar is also an Arabic name.

Origin: Arabic

Ya’Aburnee

Meaning: The literal meaning of this word is “you buried me” and it is said when people wish to say that they hope a loved one will outlive them because they care for them so much that they cannot bear the idea of a life without them.

Origin: Arabic

Aspaldiko

Meaning: The wonderful feeling of happiness when you speak to someone, or see someone, who you haven’t seen or spoken to in a very long time.

Origin: Basque

Ré nao

Meaning: This word literally means “lively” or “bustling” but when Chinese people say this they are referring to a place that is so fun and inviting it makes you want to be there.

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin) 

Arbejdsglaede

Meaning: This compound word is made up of the word “arbejde” which means “work” and also the word “glaede” which means “happiness”. Therefore, this word means feeling joy because you are enjoying your job. This untranslatable word also exists in the other Nordic languages including Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic.

Origin: Danish

Hygge

Meaning: This word has entered popular use in the UK in recent years, but it doesn’t have any literal translation. It’s all about achieving a sense of emotional warmth and happiness, usually by spending time with family and loved ones or getting cosy in your home, possibly by using items such as blankets and candles.

Origin: Danish

Voorpret 

Meaning: The feeling of excitable anticipation before an event you are really looking forward to. Sometimes, this always means that you are so excited you can’t help but dance. The literal meaning of the word is “pre-fun”.

Origin: Dutch

Epibreren

Meaning: To give the appearance of being busy at work, but actually you are not doing anything at all.

Origin: Dutch

Hyppytyynytyydytys

Meaning: The joy felt when sitting on a bouncy cushion.

Origin: Finnish

Jaksaa

Meaning: When you are lacking enthusiasm to do something, either because you don’t have the strength or willpower or you just don’t want to.

Origin: Finnish

La douleur exquise

Meaning: This word literally translates to “the exquisite pain” and is used in reference to the feeling of unrequited love and not being able to be with someone because they don’t return your feelings.

Origin: French

Yaourt

Meaning: To sing along to a song using noises that sound like the lyrics because you don’t know the actual lyrics.

Origin: French

Shemomedjam

Meaning: To eat something even though you are not hungry because it’s so delicious.

Origin: Georgian

Fachidiot

Meaning:  A person who has a lot of knowledge around a particular subject but doesn’t know much about anything outside of their field. The literal meaning of this word is “subject idiot”.

Origin: German

Kummerspeck

Meaning: The literal meaning of this word is “grief bacon”, and it refers to emotional eating and also over-eating, and gaining weight as a result of this binge.

Origin: German

Lebensmüde

Meaning: This is a compound word made up of the words “leben” which means “life” and “müde” which means “tired”. It literally means “life tired” and describes the feeling of being fed up or weary of life.

Origin: German

Meraki

Meaning: To create something with so much love and passion that you can see a piece of yourself in the finished work you create.

Origin: Greek

Pana Po’o

Meaning: The act of scratching your head in an attempt to remember something you have forgotten.

Origin: Hawaiian 

Firgun

Meaning: The feeling of complete happiness and satisfaction for someone else, usually by seeing someone else achieve something.

Origin: Hebrew

Jijivisha

Meaning: A strong desire to live life to the fullest

Origin: Hindi

Gluggaveður

Meaning: When the weather looks nice outside, but once you get outside you realise it’s chillier than it looks.

Origin: Icelandic

Jayus

Meaning: A joke that isn’t funny, but you still can’t help but laugh at it anyway. It is sometimes known as a dad joke.

Origin: Indonesian

Abbiocco

Meaning: The tiredness you feel after having eaten a large, particularly carb heavy, meal.

Origin: Italian

Attaccabottoni 

Meaning: A chatty person who talks at great length about their life.

Origin: Italian

Age-otori 

Meaning: A bad haircut which makes a person look terrible.

Origin: Japanese 

Koi No Yokan

Meaning: The hopeful feeling you get when you meet someone and hope that you can be more than friends with them and may even one day fall in love.

Origin: Japanese

Gosohada

Meaning: The feeling you get when you feel someone has got what they deserve and justice has been served.

Origin: Korean

Forelsket

Meaning: The indescribable feeling you get when you begin to fall in love with someone.

Origin: Norwegian 

Utepils

Meaning: The literal meaning of this word is “outside lager”. It is a compound word made up of the words “ute” which means ‘out, outside, outdoors’ and “pils” which means ‘lager’, and is used to describe enjoying a beer outdoors on a sunny day.

Origin: Norwegian 

Saudade

Meaning: The extreme sadness you feel when longing for something that does not, or most likely cannot, exist. It is usually used to refer to a love that remains long after someone or something has gone and they will not return. It is a theme in Portuguese and Brazilian literature, and Brazil celebrates a day of Saudade every year on 30 January.

Origin: Portuguese 

Tartle

Meaning: When you hesitate when introducing someone because you have temporarily forgotten their name.

Origin: Scottish

Vedriti

Meaning: This word can have two interpretations. It means to shelter from the rain, and this can be literal or metaphorical. In a metaphorical sense you may be waiting for a negative emotion to pass.

Origin: Slovenian 

Estrenar

Meaning: That great feeling you get when you use or wear something for the first time.

Origin: Spanish

Hakuna Matata

Meaning: This phrase was made popular by the Disney film The Lion King. It can be translated as “there are no troubles” and is referring to not thinking about things that are outside of your control.

Origin: Swahili