23 Awesome Words That Have No English Equivalent

Kenjataimu (Japanese) – Period after orgasm when a man is free from sexual desire and can think clearly.

Iktsuarpok (Inuit) – You know that feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house and you keep going outside to see if they’re there yet? This is the word for it.

Schadenfreude (German) – Pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.

Saudade (Portugese) – A deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing may never return”

Age-otori (Japanese) – To look worse after a haircut.

Fremdschämen (German) – When you feel shame or embarrassment on a stranger’s behalf over something they did.

Aimerpok (Inuit) – To visit someone’s home and expect food.

Mikkabouzu (Japanese) – Literally “A three-day monk”, meaning someone who gives up too easily or can’t stick to something.

Maskrosbarn (Swedish) -"Dandelion Child", someone who has a tough childhood and still turns out alright, like a dandelion breaking through asphalt.

Gigil (Tagalog) – The overwhelming feeling that comes over us when we see something cute.

Mencolek (Indonesian) – You know that old trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them?

Kummerspeck (German) – Excess fat gained by emotional eating – specifically, the excessive eating people do in times of stress or sorrow

Kalsarikännit (Finnish) – To get drunk home alone in your underpants, with no intention of leaving the house

Enchilado (Spanish) – The feeling in your mouth after eating spicy food that makes you heave.

Backpfeifengesicht (German) – A face you just want to slap or punch!

Sisu (Finnish) – Courage, or bravery in the face of difficulty.

Bakku-shan (Japanese) – The experience of seeing a woman who appears pretty from behind but not from the front.

Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan) – A look shared by two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something that they both desire but which neither wants to begin

Gluggaveður (Icelandic) – The kind of weather that is nice to look at through the window but not nice to be out in

“Hún Dàn (Chinese) – literally “mixed egg” – a person who has at least two biological fathers and one biological mother, the idea being that the mother mated with two or more males in quick succession and a mosaic embryo was formed.

Kurwidołek (Polish) – A toxic place comfrtable enough to stay, but not bad enough to leave

Tsundoku (Japanese) – The act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other such unread books

Umarell (Italian) – A retired man looking at construction sites and offering unwanted advice.