Untranslateable Words

1

Does your native language have a word that just doesn’t translate to another language?

I really like learning about these because they tend to have really intriguing cultural stories which allow you to connect with a language more.

I was trying to think of some in English and really struggled! The only ones I could think off the top of my head:

– bromance
– the verb to Google
– hangry
– Any word ending with -ish (for example, he looks 20-ish, meaning he looks roughly 20 years old.)

Most of these 21st century words. Would love to hear some from your native language :eyes: and your thoughts on English ones too!

2

Yesssss! In Vietnamese, there are a couple of words I really love that don’t translate completely into English:

  • “Thương” – It’s kind of like “to care for” or “to feel affection,” but it also has a gentle, emotional nuance that’s hard to capture in one word.
  • “Duyên” – This one is tricky! It refers to a kind of charm, fate, or connection that makes people or situations naturally come together. It’s often used in the context of relationships or destiny, and there’s no exact English equivalent as far as I know…
3

This appears to be exactly the same word in Chinese for 缘分 (yuánfèn ) !!

I guess in English the nearest is fate like you said, but not quite the same.

4

élan :smiling_imp:
British people always say it like that and then they say there are no equivalent in English
I don’t know, is there?