There are an estimated 7,000 languages in the world. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken, followed by English. As a student who has just spent four-months traveling Europe, I have experienced the difficulties of trying to translate phrases from English to Italian, French, Spanish, etc. that do not exist (ex: "by the way"? They have no idea what that means). But what about words/phrases from other languages that cannot be directly translated for us to understand? Here are some:
1. Kummerspeck (German).
Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. AKA finals week.
2. Tartle (Scots).
The panicky hesitation you experience when you have to introduce someone whose name you can't remember.
3. Tsundoku (Japanese).
The piling up of books you bought and never read.
4. Pelinti (Buli).
The reaction your mouth muscles have when you eat something to hot so you start to move it around in your mouth to cool it down.
5. Lagom (Swedish).
Something along the lines of "not too much, not too little, but just right."
6. Layogenic (Tagalog).
Something that's beautiful from far away but ugly up close.
7. L’appel du vide (French).
The strange urge to jump from a high place.
8. Ya’arburnee (Arabic).
This translates roughly to, "may you bury me." It's meant to express a love so deep for someone that you hope to die before them, so you don't have to live without them.
9. Cafune (Brazilian Portugese).
To run your fingers through your lover's hair.
10. Koi No Yokan (Japanese).
The sense when you meet someone that you two will fall in love.
11. Fernweh (German).
A homesickness for a place you've never been.
12. Gattara (Italian).
A woman who has dedicated herself to cats.
13. Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan).
A look between two people who want to initiate something but are both too afraid to start.
14. Dépaysement (French),
The feeling one gets from not being in their home country.
15. Duende (Spanish).
The ability of a work of art to move a person.
16. Saudade (Portguese).
The longing for something you love that has been lost.
17. Treppenwitz (German).
Coming up with a comeback long after the moment has past.
