30

Untranslatable
Words From
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Illustrated By
Anjana Iyer
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259 days ago by Dovas

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When something is lost in translation, it

could have been due to a simple mistake or
due to the fact that one language was not
quite able to capture the essence of a words
meaning in another language. [Read more...]

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2.
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Pochemuchka
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32 points

5. Gkotta (Swedish)

6.
Bakku-shan
(Japanese)

7. Backpfeifengesicht
(German)

8. Aware (Japanese)

9.
Tsundoku
(Japanese)

10.
(Yiddish)

Shlimazl

11. Rire dans sa barbe

(French)

12. Waldeinsamkeit
(German)

13.
Hanyauku
(Rukwangali)

14. Gattara (Italian)

15. Prozvonit (Czech)

16. Iktsuarpok (Inuit)

17. Papakata (Cook

Islands Maori)

18. Friolero (Spanish)

19.
Schilderwald
(German)

20.
(Norwegian)

Utepils

21. Mamihlapinatapei
(Yagan)

22.
(Italian)

Culaccino

23. Ilunga (Tshiluba)

24.
Kyoikumama
(Japanese)

25.
Age-otori
(Japanese)

26. Chai-Pani (Hindi)

27. Won (Korean)

28. Tokka (Finnish)

29.
Schadenfreude
(German)

30.
Wabi-Sabi
(Japanese)

report

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What do you think? Add a comment...

140
POST
ChrisAndersen

122 days ago

ANY word in other languages for the three

synonyms in German:
Klugscheier=Besserwisser=Korintenkack
er. A person who always knows it better?
1

reply

luz4rojo2014

114 days ago

Sabelotodo (spanish)
1

reply

LucieBartkov

101 days ago

Veznlek (czech)
0
LukaGillebert

91 days ago

Betweter (Dutch)
1

reply

JimmyWheless

27 days ago

Know-it-all (English)
1

reply

Brnistra

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TRENDING

sveznalica (Croatian) - means

exactly the same
All

Travel

Photography

Tamas Nature
Hirsch
Parenting

Animals

100 days ago

Okoska (hungarian) :)
0

reply

IldikTornai

88 days ago

okostojs:) auf Ungarisch"Klugei" auf Deutsch

0
CharleyH

LATEST

14 days ago

55 days ago

betweter or beterweter (dutch)

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RustamSataev

31 days ago

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(wseznaika) in Russian :)
0

reply

willhope

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23 days ago

Keminter (javanese)
0

reply

SallaKolehmainen

22 days ago

Kaikkitietv (Finnish)
0
FilipWessman

21 days ago

Swedish have borrowed the german

word into its vocubualry.
0

reply

liseCantin

18 days ago

Un p'tit Joe-connaissant. Faire son

p'tit Joe-connaissant. (Quebec
French)
0

reply

MacWilliams

21 days ago

#6 in English is butterface. As in,

everything looks good, but her face.
1

reply

MaurizioPistone

123 days ago

Chai-pani (hindi) has so many translations

in Italian: pizzo, tangente, bustarella... In
the other half of the world: Baksheesh
0

reply

will hope

23 days ago

In Indonesian we call it sogokan or

uang suap
0
StephenKocen

reply
110 days ago

#18 we call a Titsipritzel (Hill country

Texas)

reply

AudreySelnet

103 days ago

Dpaysement (french): the feeling of

something important is missing when you
are not in your born-country
0

reply

SynSvart

100 days ago

Shlimazl = Pechvogel Proznovit =

Anklingeln Gattara = Crazy cat lady Friolero
= Frostbeule Chai-piani = Schmiergeld All
german save Gattara.
0

reply

TejdiptyPawade

95 days ago

need a word which deqnes performing arts

and qne arts together in French , German
and English please.
0

reply

EmielKollof

94 days ago

Gezellig (Dutch) is untranslatable.

Although it's a lot like the Danish hyggelig.
0

reply

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Posting as

Neil A Batchelor Fort Collins, Colorado

You forgot one of the best words out there, Saudade from Portuguese:
desiring for something you can't get back.
Reply Like

95 Follow Post May 12, 2014 at 10:50pm

Nidi Tapoulal

Follow Imperial College London

the REAL "missing someone/thing". Also friolero exists in portuguese too: friorento
(and the opposite calorento)
Reply Like

23 May 13, 2014 at 2:39am

Monstruo Prometedor Fotografa y Montaje

Monstruo Prometedor Fotografa y Montaje

In spanish 'Nostalgia' works for 'Saudade'
Reply Like

4 May 13, 2014 at 4:11am

Dimitri Karhu University of Texas School of Law

I think the English equivalent would be "pine"?
Reply Like

22 May 13, 2014 at 8:13am

View 29 more
Drey Mitchell Owner at DVERSITY
6 in english slang is called "Butherface"
18 would be "Frileux" in French Qubcois
and 11 sucks, "Rire dans sa barbe" is not a word, it's an expression.
Reply Like

38 Follow Post May 12, 2014 at 10:52pm

Cristina Loche

Top Commenter Universit Di Torino

True. In Italy is "Ridere sotto i ba".

Reply Like

14 May 12, 2014 at 11:24pm

Hege Berentsen Bergen, Hordaland

In Norwegian we have an expression for "rire dans sa barbe", We say "humre i
skjegget".
Reply Like

12 May 13, 2014 at 12:28am

Diana Cirt Universitatea de medicina si farmacie "Iuliu Hatieganu" Cluj Napoca

yes,in romanion too
Reply Like

7 May 13, 2014 at 11:23am

View 4 more
Rachel Veldhuizen Owner at Lunarpearl
What about Gezellig in Dutch: A cozy, enjoyable feeling in a certain environment or with other
people.
Reply Like

26 Follow Post May 13, 2014 at 8:39am

Jakob Irgendeinnachname

Top Commenter Works at

Same words exists in German, just with s instead of z

Reply Like

7 May 13, 2014 at 4:09pm

Audrey Elena Tigaran Carnegie Mellon University - Heinz School

we call it hygge in Danish :)
Reply Like

6 May 13, 2014 at 5:41pm

Sonique Pospilov Prague, Czech Republic

Pohoda in Czech. So looks only English doesn't have an equivalent:p
Reply Like

8 May 13, 2014 at 9:45pm

View 6 more
Plamen Kalchev Junior System Administrator at
26. Chai-Pani (Hindi) .... uuuhm... "bribe"?!
Reply Like

24 Follow Post May 12, 2014 at 10:53pm

Cecilia Aslan Buenos Aires, Argentina

Coima, cometa, en espaol

Coima, cometa, en espaol

Reply Like May 13, 2014 at 9:47pm
Zsuzsanna Szemesn Nmeth Top Commenter
Nmeth Zsuzsanna egyni vllalkoz
What's so special about this? I'd translate it into Hungarian as "kenpnz" (literally
'smearing money'). "Schmiergeld" in German?
Reply Like
Hajnalka Tth

1 May 13, 2014 at 10:22pm

Top Commenter

Zsuzsanna Szemesn Nmeth We have words almost to everything.:)

Reply Like

2 May 14, 2014 at 2:44am

View 4 more
Trd ksnes
The finnish word for ''I wonder if I should run around aimlessly?'' is ''juoksentelisinkohan?'
Reply Like

23 Follow Post May 12, 2014 at 10:49pm

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100 Days Project, Anjana Iyer,
different languages, foreign languages,
foreign words, Found in Translation,
illustration art, languages,
learning languages, new languages,
non-English languages, odd words,

translation, translations,
untranslatable words, unusual words,
word translation