10 Awesome Words That Don’t Exist in English

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One of the best things about learning new languages is discovering entirely new ways of saying things that don’t exist in your own language. This new vocabulary gives you not just insights into other cultures, but also a new perspective on the world. Thanks to many of my talented bilingual friends, I was able to put together this fun list of 10 amazing words that don’t exist in English. 1. Téng (疼) is a special term for love in Chinese. It’s the same character as “to hurt” (as in “my stomach hurts”), and so it is love mixed with an ache or pain. It is really only used from a parent to a child. 2. You know that stretch you do when you wake up in the morning? Ungdayee in the Hindi word for it. Almost shocking this word isn’t universal across languages, right? 3. Concolón is the Ecuadorian Spanish (and perhaps other dialects of Spanish too) for that crispy, almost-burnt-but-not-quite rice that remains at the bottom of the pan after you cook it. That’s the stuff that’s so yummy, you’re elbowing your way to the pot to get a taste. 4. Ever had that experience when something is so damn cute (think puppy, or adorable baby if you like kids) you can’t control yourself, and you grit your teeth, maybe bite your lip or cheek, and have the irrepressible urge to squeeze the thing? Gigil is the brilliant Tagalog word for that: a situation that overwhelms your self-control because of cute overkill. 5. Firgun is the amazing Hebrew concept for taking pleasure in someone else’s success, with a good heart and without jealousy. The opposite is the German Schadenfreude, when you take joy in someone else’s misfortune. 6. T’aarof is the Farsi word for a standard of etiquette that runs deep in Iranian culture, a concept that captures both the symbolism and elusiveness embedded in the language. A host must offer a guest anything they desire, even if the offer is not genuine, but then the guest must also refuse. This exchange repeats itself many times (which would be lost on someone outside the culture), until the host and guest are able to somehow determine whether both the offer and refusal are genuine or just polite. 7. Dor in Romanian is similar to the Portuguese saudade—the longing of missing someone. 8. Kreislaufstörung in German is directly translated as a circulatory disturbance or circulation disorder. It’s the reason your German coworkers are calling in sick even though you drag yourself to work with a fever and a box of handkerchiefs.

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