Language was developed so that we could communicate with one another — not only the essentials for survival, but also how we think and feel. Often times, during periods of heightened emotion, we can feel that language falls short. This can happen when you are speechless, or when you can’t find the words to describe the joy you are feeling.
But chances are, if you were to look outside of your native language, you just might find the exact word or phrase you were searching for. Here is a list of the top ten most beautiful words and phrases that don’t have a precise English translation that all of us should consider co-opting:
10. Mudita. From Sansrkit, meaning to take joy in the delight and happiness of others. This beautiful word is the opposite of the German schadenfreude.
9. Tsundoku. This Japanese noun is the act of buying a book but never reading it, often leaving it piled together with a stack of other similarly unread books.
8. Voorpret. The Dutch really know how to party. Or if they don’t, they know how to get excited about partying. This word, originating in the Netherlands, is a noun that means “pre-fun”, or that sense of happiness that comes right before an event takes place.
7. Fernweh. If you miss a place you’ve never been, then you are experiencing this German noun.
6. Meraki. This Greek verb means to put your soul into your work, to create with passion, and to leave a piece of yourself in what you make.
5. Mangata. This beautiful Swedish noun is the word for the glowing, road-like reflection that the moon makes on the water.
4. Iktsuarpok. This Inuit word is a verb that means “to go outside to see if anyone is coming.”
3. Tartle. This Scottish word is the act of hesitating while introducing someone because you can’t remember their name.
2. Litost. A state of misery, created by the realization that one is in torment. Czech author Milan Kundera said of this word, “As for the meaning of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can understand the human soul without it.”
1. Toska. This Russian word is the most beautiful word in the world. Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody or something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”
