Okay, I totally get that you cannot miss what you never had.
However, there are a lot of interesting foreign words that we could also do with in English (well I think so anyway!).
Here are just a few:
👉 First off the bat it is the Inuit word ‘iktsuarpok’ which means the feeling of anticipation you get when you are waiting for a visitor to come to your house and keep looking out the window to see if they have arrived yet.
👉And how about the French word ‘seigneur-terraces’ to describe people who sit in cafés all day but barely spend any money.
👉The clever old Georgians have a wonderful word I think we should actually adopt; ‘shemomedjamo’ which means your food is so tasty you can’t stop eating it even if you are full.
👉 Italian words I can't find in English.
" Ciofeca " describing a bad coffee in one word.
" Faloppone" someone who never finishes anything. Politicians are examples.
"Gibigianna " the reflection of light on the water. A woman who impresses with her elegance.
👉The word ‘bitte’ in German. ‘You’re welcome’ doesn’t cover the half of it. It means ‘please’, I beg you.
And you can have lots of variations such as ‘biiterschön’ and ‘bitte seer’.
‘gemütlichkeit’ it means a warm, cosy, friendly welcoming atmosphere where you can relax.
👉'Hygge' has started popping up in the UK from Denmark. We associate it with Scandinavian 'style' but the dictionary says: "A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being"
👉'Hiraeth' : 'a sense of nostalgia for a romanticised version of the past that never actually existed. / Missing something, missing home but missing something you cannot have - a time, an era, a place in time, a person.'
Quite like a bittersweet memory, but a lot stronger.
👉 The Chinese expression that says '喜极而泣 xi ji er qi.' That means you are so happy that tears come to the eyes. It's quite a mouthful in English in comparison.
👉'Sisu' is a Finnish term loosely translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. However, the word is widely considered to lack a proper translation into any other language.
👉Irish word : "bay-oh-keen-yu” An “elegy for the living”—in other words, a sad lament for someone who has gone away, but who has not died.
👉"havering" - Scots word for the act of not being completely truthful, rather than BS.
He havers. He is a haver.
👉"Saudade" is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes one live again.
"Fado" is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, and covers "Saudade" extensively... You don't need to understand the words to feel it...
👉Lastly, there is my favourite Japanese word ‘yūgen’ which is almost impossible to define but broadly means the mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe that awakens inner thoughts and feelings.
Do you know any others we could add?
I know that feeling for sure. As a German who lived in the US I soon came to realize how efficient German was compared to English. Cheers!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit