
It is often considered characteristic of the Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese temperament. It is a bittersweet, empty feeling that carries the knowledge that the object of longing may never return. Saudade refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone you love which is gone. So it is sometimes indirectly translated as "moon-path," "moon-river," or "moon-track." 7. It consists of the prefixes Måne meaning moon, and gata meaning street/road. It refers to the wavy, road-like shape that appears across the water when the moon is shining on it. This beautiful word describes the reflection of the moon on water. It refers to the total suspension of disbelief you get with good, powerful storytelling. Goya is an Urdu word for the moment when fantasy is so realistic that it temporarily becomes reality. The Spanish people value the time spent relaxing and chatting after finishing eating. Meals are a very important part of Spanish culture. Sobremesa refers to the time spent after lunch or dinner socializing with the people you shared the meal with. The first kanji means "tree" or "trees," the second kanji refers to "escape," and the third kanji means "light" or "sun." 4. The word consists of three kanji and the hiragana particle れ (re). 木漏れ日 (Komorebi) is a Japanese word that refers to the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees. It's that feeling that makes you look out the window countless times in hope of seeing your guest arrive. It refers to the impatient excitement that makes you constantly check to see if they're coming. Iktsuarpok describes the feeling of anticipation when you're expecting someone. It hints at both the feeling of being alone in the woods and also at a peaceful oneness with nature. Wald means forest, and einsamkeit means loneliness or solitude.

The German word waldeinsamkeit consists of two words joined together.

These words are often considered "untranslatable." Linguists have spent decades deconstructing and studying these words, trying to discover why. This means many ideas become "lost in translation." Each language has its own linguistic and grammatical complexities.

There are so many feelings and ideas that we can't put words to.Īs every language learner knows, translating between two languages is no easy task. Many languages are not able to perfectly capture the exact meaning of a word in another language. These beautiful foreign words provide a fascinating glimpse into foreign languages and cultures. None have a direct translation in English. Today we're going to take a look at 20 of the most magical ones, each from a different foreign language. There are thousands of untranslatable words.
