First six:
- hyggelig (Danish) adj.: comfy, cozy, intimate and contented
- abbiozzo (Italian) noun: drowsiness from eating a big meal
- sobremesa (Spanish) noun: after-lunch conversation around the table
- desenrascanço (Portuguese) noun: the ability to quickly improvise a solution
- utepils (Norwegian) noun: a beer you drink outside
- verschlimmbessern (German) verb: to make something worse when trying to improve it
- gökotta (Swedish) noun: to wake up early in the morning with the intention to go outside and listen to the birds singing
- weltschmerz (German) noun: mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state
- sisu (Finnish) noun: strength of will, determination and perseverance in challenging times
- kaapshljmurslis (Latvian) verb: to be cramped in public transportation during rush hour
- meraki (Greek) verb: to do something with love, care, creativity or soul
- retrouvailles (French) noun: the joy of seeing someone after a long separation
- schadenfreude (German) noun: a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction when something bad happens to someone else
- litost (Czech) noun: a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery
- yaourter (French) verb: to attempt to speak or sing in a foreign language that you don’t know very well
- béaláistí (Irish) noun: a drink used to seal a deal or a business agreement
- dor (Romanian) noun: a nostalgic feeling of missing someone or something
- meraki (Greek) verb: to do something with soul, creativity or love; to put something of yourself into your work
What’s your favourite untranslatable word?
Walaka of Earth Two says
These were great – trying to access my sisu.
BTW, only 17 words here — meraki appears twice.
Brilliant Maps says
Glad you liked it! And, yes I noticed that as well the fault of the original map maker.
John McGee says
I was once told that the english word “home” is not translatable into any other language as well.
Francesco says
Abbiozzo is incorrect. The correct word is Abbiocco. I’m Italian.