10 Untranslatable Words That Reveal How Cultures Think

Every language contains words that resist direct translation—terms so deeply rooted in cultural experience that they require paragraphs to explain in another tongue. These "untranslatable" words offer fascinating windows into how different cultures perceive the world.

1. Saudade (Portuguese)

A deep emotional state of melancholic longing for something or someone you love but is absent. It is more than nostalgia—it carries a sense of incompleteness and the acknowledgment that what you miss may never return.

2. Hygge (Danish)

The cosy, convivial atmosphere that generates feelings of contentment and wellbeing. Think candles, warm blankets, good friends, and hot drinks on a cold evening. Danes consider it essential to happiness.

3. Ikigai (Japanese)

Your reason for being—the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. It is the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning.

4. Schadenfreude (German)

The pleasure derived from another person's misfortune. Germans are famously efficient, even at naming uncomfortable truths about human nature.

5. Lagom (Swedish)

Not too much, not too little—just the right amount. It reflects the Swedish cultural value of balance and moderation in all things.

6. Ubuntu (Zulu/Xhosa)

"I am because we are." A philosophy emphasising the interconnectedness of humanity, suggesting that a person is a person through other people.

7. Wabi-sabi (Japanese)

Finding beauty in imperfection and accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay. The cracked teacup becomes more beautiful for its history.

8. Sobremesa (Spanish)

The time spent lingering at the table after a meal, talking with family and friends. In Spain, rushing away from the table is almost rude.

9. Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan)

A wordless look shared between two people who both want something to happen but neither wants to initiate it. Once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most succinct word.

10. Toska (Russian)

A sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without specific cause—a longing with nothing to long for. Vladimir Nabokov wrote that no English word captures its full meaning.

Why This Matters for Translation

These words remind us that translation is not a mechanical process of swapping terms. It requires understanding culture, context, and the emotions that language evokes. At Lingo Service, our translators do not just speak the language—they understand the culture behind it.