Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Multi-Lingual People Explain Which Words From Their Native Language Don't Translate Into English

Multi-Lingual People Explain Which Words From Their Native Language Don't Translate Into English
Wikimedia Commons
Make us preferred on Google

Language is a beautiful, fascinating, and most tricky thing.

And each language has its quirks, often finding ways to express feelings and events in ways that other languages cannot.

After Redditor oskskioskski asked the online community, "What are some words that only exist in your language but does not exist in English?" many people from around the world decided to show us a thing or two.


"It has no direct translation..."

The word "kilig" in Filipino. It has no direct translation in the English language but the closest is "the feeling of getting butterflies in your stomach."

phauuyap

"...is the Japanese word for..."

Giphy

Tsundoku is the Japanese word for books you have bought but have just let pile up unread.

ReignofWinter

"The word..."

The word 'hiraeth' in Welsh.

Hiraeth is hard to translate, but it means a deep kind of homesickness or longing.

limegreenbunny

"It means..."

Kalsarikännit in Finnish. It means when you're drinking alcohol at your home wearing only underwear with no intention to go anywhere.

mikkomikomikko

"A feeling of pleasure..."

Schadenfreude - from google: A feeling of pleasure or satisfaction when something bad happens to someone else.

Fremdscham: Embarrassment you feel through the cringy or humilating actions of someone else.

overbread

"It can mean anything..."

The word "lekker" in Afrikaans.

It can mean anything from pleasant to tasty to good to pleasurable. It can be used in relation to food, feelings, interjectory, as a pronoun or adjective.

There is no specific translation for "lekker", so you would need to choose a different word for it in English every time, depending on context.

ThePatrician007

"It's a feeling in your throat..."

"Empalagoso" in Spanish. It's a feeling in your throat when you eat too much sweet creamy stuff. It can also mean when someone is excessively sweet towards you.

Giger-lago

"It's a Dutch word..."

'Gezelligheid,' it's a Dutch word which indicates that you and the people you are with are having a good time.

bschoone

"The German word..."

The German word "Backpfeifengesicht" is more or less translated as "A face in desperate need of a slap."

maleorderbride

"In Portuguese..."

In Portuguese there are two translations for "to be".

One is "ser" which is to be in a more permanent way, usually used to refer to your nationality, a job, or a personal trait, e.g. "Eu sou brasileiro" ("I am Brazilian"), "Ela é uma médica" ("She is a doctor"), or "Ele é um cara legal" ("He is a nice guy").

The other one is "estar", which is to be temporarily, usually used to refer to emotions, current location, or an action (present continuous), e.g. "Eu estou nervoso" ("I am nervous"), "Ela está na estação de trem" ("She is at the train station"), or "Ele está dormindo" ("He is sleeping").

The same applies for Spanish, with the same verbs too.

radioactivecafe

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

George Conway; Laura Loomer
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for CNN; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

George Conway Epically Trolls Laura Loomer After She Claims New York DMV's Credit Card Machine Displayed 'Palestinian Flag'

Conspiracy theorist and acolyte of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump Laura Loomer drew widespread ridicule over her latest outrageous claim. Lawyer and ex-husband of Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway turned anti-Trump activist George Conway lead the charge on calling Loomer out on her latest nonsense.

On October 7, Loomer shared a photo on X that was allegedly taken at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in New York City. The MAGA influencer also tagged NYC's progressive Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani's personal X account.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Collins
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Susan Collins Dragged After GOP PAC Boosts Her Campaign In The Wrong Portland

On July 4, 1786, the city of Portland, Maine, was officially founded with its newly-minted name. Almost 60 years later in 1845, Maineiac Francis Pettygrove won a coin toss against Asa Lovejoy and named their soon-to-be incorporated city in Oregon Portland after the largest city in his home state of Maine.

Since then, Portland, Oregon, has swelled to a city of approximately 675,000 people while its namesake boasts a population of just 70,000. In 2026, when people hear Portland, they think of Oregon instead of the original city in Maine.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Whitey Taylor
CNN

CNN Just Visited A Struggling MAGA Store—And It Spells Bad News For Trump

CNN correspondent Elle Reeve returned to Whitey Taylor's Trump Town USA in Boones Mill, Virginia, for the first time since visiting in 2023, and her segment shows that business for the Donald Trump-themed shop has collapsed as more MAGA followers break away from the president.

Reeve, in a segment for Anderson Cooper 360, reported that "things aren't what they used to be" for the store. She spoke with Taylor, who revealed that the store, which used to make $12,000 to $15,000 in sales per day now only makes between $1,500 - $2,000 per day. On occasion, Taylor will hit $3,000 in sales if he's lucky.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth Roasted After Video Of Him Trying And Failing To Keep Up With Marines Goes Viral

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was widely mocked after he was shown struggling to keep up with Marines while running around a track during a recent training.

In a C-SPAN video shared by FactPost on X, Hegseth is shown lagging beyond the pack as Marines jog around a track in San Diego.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vice President JD Vance speaks during a Washington, D.C., press conference on American jobs and visa fraud.
C-SPAN

JD Vance Blasted After Sharing His Absolutely Mind-Numbing Definition Of 'Socialism'

According to Merriam-Webster, socialism broadly refers to economic and political systems centered on collective or government ownership and control of the means of production.

Not exactly a concept requiring a Ph.D. to explain. One would think Vice President JD Vance, a Yale Law School graduate whose party practically uses the word as punctuation, could manage a working definition.

Keep ReadingShow less