Words that don’t exist in English

What Do We Mean By “Untranslatable” Words?

When people talk about words that don’t have an English translation, they usually do not mean that the idea is impossible to explain. Linguists and translators stress that “untranslatable” words can almost always be translated with phrases or sentences. The real issue is that there is no single English word with exactly the same meaning and emotional colour.

So, when you hear about foreign words that don’t exist in English, think of them as examples of a “lexical gap”: English speakers know the feeling or situation, but the language has never created a short, fixed label for it. Instead, you need a longer explanation like “a cosy feeling with friends in winter evenings” or “a deep, nostalgic longing with a little bit of hope.”

Some people say these are words that can’t be translated into English, but this is not really true. You can translate them; it just takes more effort and more words. That is exactly why they are so interesting for language learners.

Why Languages Have Words that don’t exist in English

Languages grow around the daily life of the people who use them. If a culture often talks about a special feeling, situation or social rule, it is more likely to invent a short word for it. If this concept is less central in another culture, that language may not create a compact term, even if people still recognise the feeling.

Researchers who study untranslatability argue that these terms are linked to cultural habits: how people spend free time, celebrate, deal with sadness or organise social life. For example, if a society has a strong tradition of long family dinners, there is a higher chance it will have a word just for the relaxed time after the meal.

In this sense, words that don’t exist in English are not signs that English is weak or limited. They are simply reminders that each language pays attention to different parts of human experience.

Famous Emotional Words From Other Languages

To understand this better, let us look at some emotional concepts that are often described as words that don’t have an English translation. These words appear again and again in lists of untranslatable terms and are discussed by linguists, journalists and travel writers, so they are good, well-documented examples.

This first list is interesting because every word names a very specific emotion that English usually describes with a whole phrase:

• Saudade (Portuguese) – A deep, bittersweet longing for someone or something that is absent, mixing sadness, love and nostalgia at the same time.

• Hygge (Danish/Norwegian) – A cosy feeling of comfort, safety and togetherness, often linked to soft light, simple pleasures and time with loved ones.

• Wabi-sabi (Japanese) – An aesthetic and mindset that finds beauty in imperfection, simplicity and the passage of time.

• Gigil (Tagalog, Philippines) – The overwhelming urge to squeeze or pinch something extremely cute, sometimes called “cute aggression” in psychology and now in English dictionaries.

• Hiraeth (Welsh) – A strong, nostalgic longing for a lost or idealised home, often described as homesickness mixed with grief and desire.

All of these could be described with long phrases in English, but many writers still treat them as words that can’t be translated into English with just one neat, compact term.

Everyday Situations: Small Moments, Strong Words

Untranslatable words do not always refer to big emotions. Many of them describe small, everyday scenes that happen in every culture. English speakers will recognise the situations, but there is no standard one-word label.

The next list is notable because it focuses on very concrete actions or moments that happen in daily life:

• Pelinti (Buli, Ghana) – To move very hot food around your mouth because it burns, but you do not want to spit it out.

• Sobremesa (Spanish) – The relaxed time spent talking at the table after a meal, when the food is finished but the conversation continues.

• Komorebi (Japanese) – The effect of sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees, creating patches of moving light and shadow.

• Waldeinsamkeit (German) – The feeling of being alone in the forest, often peaceful and a little mysterious at the same time.

Lists like these are a good reminder that many so-called words that can’t be translated into English are actually just shortcuts. They pack a whole micro-story into one compact sound.

Overview Table: What These Words Tell Us

A table can help you compare different terms at a glance. The value of this table is that it does not only give literal meanings; it also shows the cultural focus behind each word, which is exactly why these expressions attract so much attention in English-speaking media.

As you can see, many of the most famous foreign words that don’t exist in English are deeply tied to social habits: how people eat together, decorate their homes or express tenderness and nostalgia.

How Words that don’t exist in English Reveal Culture

When you explore words that don’t exist in English, you are really studying what different cultures choose to name and celebrate. Translation specialists note that untranslatable words often appear in areas like family relations, social rituals, food, nature and emotional nuance.

Some researchers argue that collecting words that don’t exist in English can be a useful way to reflect on your own culture. You may ask: why does English have many precise technical terms, but fewer short words for some subtle emotions? On the other hand, there are also English terms that are hard to mirror in other languages, so the “untranslatable” label goes both ways.

This is why lists of words that don’t have an English translation are popular among learners: they open a window into other ways of living and thinking without requiring you to become an academic linguist.

Practical Tips: How To Learn From These Words

Knowing a few famous untranslatable terms is fun, but you can also use them to improve your English study routine.

This final list is useful because it gives you concrete actions, not just theory:

• Write new expressions in a notebook with the original language, a simple English explanation and one short example sentence.

• Group them by theme (food, emotions, nature), so you can compare how different cultures talk about the same area of life.

• When you learn words that can’t be translated into English easily, try to create your own English phrase for them. This will train both your vocabulary and your creativity.

Another good habit is to notice when English uses loanwords. For example, hygge and saudade are now used directly in many English articles instead of long explanations, because writers feel that these borrowed terms say something that standard English does not express in one word.

In this way, the line between words that don’t exist in English and normal English vocabulary becomes softer. Some expressions begin as exotic, words that can’t be translated into English, and later become familiar loanwords in dictionaries and everyday speech.