24 amazing words from other languages that don’t have an English equivalent
13.
Taarof: the Persian etiquette that permeates every interaction… it involves deference to the other person. If someone says no to more food on their plate, you keep insisting, if someone says they like your jewelry, you offer it to them, and you fight to pay the check.
— Roxana Daneshjou MD/PhD (@RoxanaDaneshjou) March 1, 2023
14.
Pesado. Spanish word. It literally means heavy. But it’s meant to describe a person who is not likable because it feels like they are weighing you down.
— Dailyn "La Jefa" Rodriguez (@dailynrod) March 1, 2023
15.
Konträrfaszination – German word coined by Roger Willemsen for when something (for example: a reality TV show) evokes disgust and fascinates at the same time.
— Teresa Eder (@teresaeder) March 1, 2023
16.
Frileux, frileuse : an adjective that in French means someone who is sensitive to cold.
— Rémi Authier (@RemAuthier) March 1, 2023
17.
In my Alaska Native language, Tlingit, we have a word “(haa) shagóon” (our) Ancestors who will be reincarnated as our descendants (with a circular view of time). It also means our Ancestors’ history, codified as songs, stories, art, regalia, customs, etc., that guide our lives.
— L’aakaw Éesh KAW (@LaakawEesh) March 1, 2023
18.
疼 (teng2). It means to dote on, but it also can mean hurt/a tender pain. Conveying the particular pain that can come with affection
— Lydia Lam (@LydiaLamCNA) March 1, 2023
19.
BSL: with a fisted hand, stroke your thumb down the side of your chest and mouth ‘foo’ – to mean ‘I’m too knackered to be arsed’
— sophiestone She/Her (@sophieLstone) March 1, 2023
20.
Twijfelen (Dutch).
It's not "to doubt", not "to hesitate", not "to be in 2 minds", but something very close to all that.
— Evan 🏳️⚧️ 🏳️🌈 🇺🇦 ✊🏾 (he/him) (@Evanderstap) March 1, 2023
21.
Komorebi (Japanese): the sunlight shining through the branches of trees
— 紫苑 (@sinninomyouka) February 28, 2023
22.
The Punjabi word “siyapa.” Originally a “siyapa” was a mourning ritual done by professional women mourners at funerals, where the hired women would cry loudly, wail and beat their chests. In contemporary usage it means “a troublesome, annoying or chaotic situation.”
— Dr. Arora (@kamarora) February 28, 2023
23.
It’s not so much that it doesn’t have an equivalent, but the word “piwoszka” is delightfully short and precise in Polish, while to convey the exact same meaning in English, you’d have to say “a beer-loving woman” or “female beer connoisseur”. https://t.co/HM3g56Ae6R
— Anna Tuckett (@AnnaMTuckett) March 1, 2023
24.
Gréinleacha' doesn't have an exact match in English; it means a patch of grass that a cow has previously shat on, slightly different in colour to the surrounding grass. https://t.co/OAaLyAh5M7
— The Irish For (@theirishfor) March 1, 2023
BONUS
Native English speaker here: and we definitely need a word to describe being embarrassed for somebody who you have no connection to.
— Andrew Freiden (@AndrewNBC12) February 28, 2023
We highly recommend you go and read the replies for yourself to get the full benefit.
READ MORE
These 18 handy new words deserve a place in the dictionary
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