Eunoia

Words That Don't Translate

Eunoia was built in 24h by Steph. Search 700+ untranslatable words by 80+ languages and 60+ tags, or click refresh to see a new batch. Enjoy!


Word Definition Language Tags Audio
Sielvartas Literal translation as “soul tumbling” used as grief or resentment Lithuanian adverse thinking emotion
Zgabalj Mixture of all the bad things in the world, combined Serbian adverse society
Handschuhschneeballwerfer A coward willing to criticize and abuse from a safe distance German adverse attribute interaction
Abhayamudrâ (अभय मुद्रा) The gesture (e.g., in Hindu and Buddhist iconography) of fearlessness, protection, and/or peace; involves the palms facing outwards, and the fingers extending upwards. Sanskrit strength
Te (德) Virtue; morality; integrity; inner power. Chinese strength
Fachidiot Someone who knows a great deal about a very narrow subject German thinking attribute
Yaqin (يقين) Certitude and freedom from doubt. Arabic feeling awareness
Verschlimmbesserung An attempt at improvement that makes things worse than they already were German adverse
Xíng qì (行氣) Volitionally (e.g., mentally) circulating or directing qi. Chinese growth awareness strength
Weemoed Lit. sadness, woe (wee) courage, daring, mood (moed); soft mood; light melancholy; having the strength to overcome a feeling of sorrow (e.g., arising in relation to nostalgia). Dutch adverse growth
Hüzün Originally pain and sorrow over a loss, but also can mean melancholy associated with a sense of failure in life and a gloomy feeling that things will likely get worse. Turkish adverse emotion
L'esprit de l'escalier Thinking of the perfect reply after the conversation is over. French friends interaction
Gezellig A warm feeling of cozyness, but also have good times with friends af a party. Dutch feeling positive
Istories me arkoudes Literal: 'stories with bears'; stories that are so crazy, they can't be true Greek extreme funny
Commuovere "Heartwarming,” but specifically refers to a story that moved you to tears Italian beauty interaction emotion
Zugzwang To be forced to make a move even though it will likely to be at your disadvantage German action interaction philosophy
Sophrosyne A healthy state of mind, characterized by self-control, moderation, and a deep awareness of one's true self, and resulting in one's true happiness. Greek awareness happiness reflection
Rückkehrunruhe The feeling of returning home after an immersive trip only to find it fading rapidly from your awareness. German awareness time
Autophile A person that loves solitude, being alone English character attribute
(يقبرني) Ya'aburnee A way to declare your hope that your loved one will outlive you because of how unbearable it would be to live without them. Arabic love time strength
Kenjataimu "wise man's time": The post-orgasmic period when a man's thoughts are no longer impaired by his sexual drive; he is thus likened to a "sage" of clear mind Japanese awareness
Tampo Behaviour in which a person withdraws his or her affection or cheerfulness from a person who has hurt his or her feelings; when you're disappointed with someone yet do not express it directly Tagalog adverse emotion
Wanderlust A strong desire to travel German travel adventure
Sirimiri Weak and constant rain; stronger than a mist but less than a shower. Basque weather physical
kaizen Continuous growth Japanese growth
Vozdukh (Воздух) "Air" but also "the stack of spirit". To breathe in is to "take the spirit inside". Russian beauty physical
Mechaye Joy, pleasure; something that gives great joy/pleasure. Yiddish positive
Kram The quality of snow that makes it moldable so that one make snow balls and snowmen. Norwegian nature attribute
Celístia Brighness from the stars Catalan nature physical
Polytropos (πολύτροπος) Much turned, much traveled, much wandering; turning many ways (shifty, versatile, wily) (changeful, complicated) [notoriously used in the opening of The Odyssey as an early challenge for translators] Greek explore




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