Words With No Direct English Translation
There are roughly 6500 different languages in the world, out of which English is said to be the universal language. However, there are so many amazing foreign language words that cannot be translated into English. Here are a few words with no direct English translation:
1. Saudades
Saudades is a Brazillian Portuguese word which means a nostalgic longing for a dear one that you’ve lost who is most probably never coming back.
2. Astaghfirullah
A word of Arabic origin, it is the act of seeking forgiveness from Allah.
3. Katzenjammer
The literal translation of this word is Cat’s Wail. It is described as a state of an individual after a hangover, which has been linked to a wailing of a cat.
4. Kabelsalat
You know when you have a million cables tangled, and you need to separate them. Kabelsalat is nothing but a German word for these tangled cables.
5. Bakku Shan
Well, we have all seen women on the road who are extremely beautiful from the back but when we look at them from the front, we realize they perhaps may not be as beautiful.
The word for that is Bakku Shan.
6. Prozvonit
You know how sometimes when we don’t have a balance on our phone and we give missed calls to people so they can call us back. Well, the word for that is Prozvonit.
7. Treppenwitz
How many times have we replayed a situation in our head and realize what the perfect comeback would be? There is a word for that- Treppenwitz.
8. Pochemuchka
You know that annoying kid in class who asks too many questions and is the reason why the teacher leaves the class 5 minutes after the bell. Pochemuchka is a Russian word for one that asks too many questions!
9. Pana p’oo
The act of scratching your head to figure out what you’ve forgotten and where it is.
I’m sure this happens to a lot of us on a daily basis with our phone.
10. Ya’arbunea
The hope that you will die before the person you love so you don’t have to bear the pain of living in a world without them.
So hopefully after reading these words with no direct English translation, you can perhaps use a few of them in your daily life and enhance your vocabulary!