Every language is unique. It doesn’t matter if it has the same roots (e.g. Spanish and Portuguese), each language developed its own unique phrasing, words and meanings. If you’re bi-lingual, and you’ve ever tried to translate from one language to the other, you probably had at least a few times said: "This can’t really be translated.", because each language does have words that just don’t have a parallel in other languages.
Here are 30 fine examples of some truly great words that just can’t be translated into another language.
2. Komorebi (Japanese)
3. Tingo (Pascuense)
4. Pochemuchka (Russian)
5. Bakku-shan (Japanese)
6. Gökotta (Swedish)
7. Backpfeifengesicht (German)
8. Aware (Japanese)
9. Tsundoku (Japanese)
10. Shlimazl (Yiddish)
11. Rire dans sa barbe (French)
12. Waldeinsamkeit (German)
13. Hanyauku (Rukwangali)
14. Gattara (Italian)
15. Prozvonit (Czech)
16. Iktsuarpok (Inuit)
17. Papakata (Cook Islands Maori)
18. Friolero (Spanish)
19. Schilderwald (German)
20. Utepils (Norwegian)
21. Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan)
22. Culaccino (Italian)
23. Ilunga (Tshiluba)
24. Kyoikumama (Japanese)
25. Age-otori (Japanese)
26. Chai-Pani (Hindi)
27. Won (Korean)
28. Tokka (Finnish)
29. Schadenfreude (German)
30. Wabi-Sabi (Japanese)
