Languages are one of my favorite subjects. I find their structure, sonance, and what they can say about a culture very interesting. How an island country can have 30 different words for water while a desert region has only one or two, for example. Some of the coolest words I “collect” are ones that have no direct English translation. These often describe a concept or feeling, an activity or object that there is not so much emphasis on in English speaking regions. I’ve picked out some of my favorite, most beautiful foreign words to share in today’s post.
Fernweh
Origin: German
Definition: A feeling of homesickness for places you’ve never been to.
Mångata
Origin: Swedish
Definition: The roadlike reflection of the moon on the surface of water.
Irusu
Origin: Japanese
Definition: Pretending to be out when someone knocks at the door.
Flâneur
Origin: French
Definition: One who strolls aimlessly but enjoyably, observing life and their surroundings.
Quarencia
Origin: Spanish
Definition: A place from which one’s strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self.
Sehnsucht
Origin: German
Definition: Wistful longing; a yearning for a far, familiar, unearthly land one can identify as one’s home.
Livsnjutare
Origin: Swedish
Definition: One who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme.
Komorebi
Origin: Japanese
Definition: The sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees.
Waldeinsamkeit
Origin: German
Definition: The feeling of solitude, being alone in the woods, and a connection to nature.
Dépaysement
Origin: French
Definition: The feeling of not being in one’s home country, of being a foreigner.
Gökotta
Origin: Swedish
Definition: To wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds sing.
Hanyauku
Origin: Rukwangali
Definition: The act of walking on tiptoe across warm sand.
Ukiyo
Origin: Japanese
Definition: Literally “the floating world”, living in the moment, detached from the bothers of life.
Goya
Origin: Urdu
Definition: The suspension of disbelief that can occur, often through good storytelling.
Related Posts:
- Improve Your Travel Vocabulary
- Most Inspirational Travel Quotes
- Teaching English Abroad: Dos and Don’ts
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