While some words of love can be translated from one language to another, there are also many untranslatable words that speak to basic human emotions and desires. These untranslatable words range from romantic ideas like that first rush of falling in love (forelsket in Norwegian) to more fundamental emotions like a longing for a lost homeland (hiraeth in Welsh). All over the world, people have created words to express what it’s like to be a person who feels love and other emotions.
50 Untranslatable Words About Love and Humanity
These 50 words are some of the most moving expressions of love and life truths from languages around the globe:
- aware (Japanese) - the feeling of bittersweet joy that comes from a moment you know won’t last
- arbejdsglæde (Danish) - the feeling of satisfaction and joy that comes from loving your job
- cafuné (Portuguese) - gently and lovingly stroking someone's hair
- cavoli riscaldati (Italian) - an attempt to bring back a romance of the past, literally translated as “reheated cabbage”
- commuovere (Italian) - a story that is so moving you find yourself crying
- cwtch (Welsh) - embracing someone to make that person feel safe
- dor (Romanian) - sadly longing or pining for someone or something
- drachenfutter (German) - an apology gift to your lover
- duende (Spanish) - the emotional power of great art
- fahrvergnügen (German) - the love of driving for its own sake
- fargin (Yiddish) - to find true joy in the success of other people
- fernweh (German) - the feeling of missing a place you haven’t actually been before
- filotimo (Greek) - a friend who is very honorable and deserves respect
- forelsket (Norwegian) - the rush experienced when you first begin to fall in love
- friluftsliv (Norwegian) - the joy of being outside in nature
- gattara (Italian) - a woman who loves cats to the point of devotion
- gigil (Filipino) - the desire to squeeze something because it is cute
- goya (Urdu) - the complete suspension of disbelief that happens when you hear a great story
- házisárkány (Hungarian) - a nagging and unhappy spouse, literally translated as “indoor dragon”
- hiraeth (Welsh) - longing for the past or for a lost homeland
- hygge (Danish) - the relaxing moment of sharing food and drink with friends
- iktsuarpok (Inuit) - the feeling that leads you to look out the window to see if a visitor is coming
- kilig (Tagalog) - the feeling of blushing and getting butterflies in your stomach when you see someone
- koi no yokan (Japanese) - the sense that you could fall in love with a person you only just met
- la douleur exquise (French) - the intense pain that comes from wanting a person who can never be yours
- l’esprit de l’escalier (French) - the feeling of realizing the perfect thing to say too late for the situation
- litost (Czech) - the suffering you feel when you see something that reminds you of how miserable you are
- mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan) - a look two people exchange when they want to start something but know they should not
- merak (Serbian) - a feeling of pure bliss in simple, daily pleasures
- mokita (Kivila) - something that everyone knows is true but no one talks about
- naz (Urdu) - the pride of being unconditionally loved
- noroke (Japanese) - to brag about a person you love
- nunchi (Korean) - the ability to listen carefully to another person and discern his or her mood
- odnoliub (Russian) - someone who is capable of only loving one person or one thing at a time
- oodal (Tamil) - an exaggerated and put-on anger that goes with a lover’s spat
- paasa (Tagalog) - someone who leads another person on, allowing the other person to think they are romantically interested when they are not
- pena ajena (Spanish) - the sense of empathy you have for the embarrassment of someone else
- razbliuto (Russian) - the feeling you get when you think about a person you used to love but don’t love anymore
- rire dans sa barbe (French) - to laugh quietly to yourself about a funny thing that happened in the past
- saudade (Portuguese) - the feeling of nostalgic longing for a far-away person or place
- schadenfreude (German) - pleasure at the discomfort or misfortune of others
- torschlusspanik (German) - the fear that you are running out of time to do something important in your life
- toska (Russian) - an overwhelming feeling of misery and boredom
- voorpret (Dutch) - the feeling of great anticipation about an upcoming pleasant experience
- wabi-sabi (Japanese) - the sense that there is beauty in imperfection
- waldeinsamkeit (German) - the feeling of being alone in the woods and connected with nature
- won (Korean) - reluctance to let go of a belief that isn’t real
- ya’aburnee (Arabic) - a statement that you wish to die before someone you love so you don’t have to endure life without that person
- yuanfen (Chinese) - a relationship that was fated or pre-determined
- yūgen (Japanese) - the sense that there is much sad beauty and mystery in the universe, especially as it relates to the suffering of people
Expressions of Love Around the World
From romantic Italian phrases to Japanese truths about the universe, there’s a lot to learn from the wisdom of other cultures. At heart, people have a lot in common, and some things are true all over the world. In addition to these beautiful untranslatable words, you can learn to say “I love you” in many languages. That way, even if you don’t use one of these untranslatable words, you can express yourself simply and beautifully.