Words That Simply Don't Exist In English

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HoneyBadger

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This is really neat.

We look at 25 words that simply don’t exist in the English langauge (and yet after reading this list, you’ll wish they did!)

1 Age-otori (Japanese): To look worse after a haircut

2 Arigata-meiwaku (Japanese): An act someone does for you that you didn’t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do, but they went ahead anyway, determined to do you a favor, and then things went wrong and caused you a lot of trouble, yet in the end social conventions required you to express gratitude

3 Backpfeifengesicht (German): A face badly in need of a fist

4 Bakku-shan (Japanese): A beautiful girl… as long as she’s being viewed from behind

I think English also needs a word for: the feeling of having a wet hair wrapped around your finger. Maybe in German it's fingwettenhairen?

Are there any words you wish existed, in English or any other Earth-language?
 

LJD

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4 Bakku-shan (Japanese): A beautiful girl… as long as she’s being viewed from behind

I thought this was a but-her-face...
...OK, not proper English.

I remember learning about a study in first year psychology (I think) in which people who were bilingual were better able to understand certain concepts in one language than another, based on what words were available in different languages. Something like that. It was kind of neat.

Just wasted too much time trying to find this study on Google...to no avail.
 

jjdebenedictis

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I don't know if I'm spelling this correctly, but "gluka vether" means "window weather" in Icelandic. It refers to weather that is pretty to look at but you wouldn't want to be out in it.
 

muravyets

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Those are wonderful words. However, I should point out that in English, we have two of those concepts already at least partially taken care of.

For "bakku-shan", we might substitute the colloquial and decidedly less pretty "butterface" which references a girl on whom everything looks great but her face. However, "bakku-shan" is definitely better sounding, so I hope that one gets anglicized.

Now as for "arigata-meiwaku", if I understand correctly, that describes the act of the unhelpfully helpful person, right? In English there is a word that describes the person him/herself. That word is "marplot."

Thinkexist.com:
Marplot Meaning and Definition

(n.)
One who, by his officious interference, mars or frustrates a design or plot.

Merriam-Webster:
mar·plot noun \ˈmär-ˌplät\




Definition of MARPLOT

: one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by meddling


First Known Use of MARPLOT

1764

The Bedford Players, a California theater troupe, describe the character, Mr. Marplot (from the 18th century play The Busie Body and star of the modernized play they are promoting at the link), who was the origin of the word:

...For their part, the gentlemen further the cause by engaging the talents of Marplot, a friend who is always willing to serve, making it his business to be in on everything and uniquely talented in putting his foot forward in the wrong manner.

The original Busie Body is widely believed to have been the origin of the term 'monkey business' and Marplot provides plenty of shenanigans to delight and intrigue our audience.

"Marplot" is one of my favorite words. I made a whole artwork around it. Pic.
 

kaitie

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Just one that I want to use all the time: Natsukashii, Japanese, which is usually translated as "nostalgic." However, it's a word that describes the nice warm fuzzies you get when remembering something from your past. It sounds silly in English to say, "Aaaw, that's nostalgic." It's the perfect word, but sadly most Americans don't have a clue if you say it. :tongue The closest I can think of would be more like, "Aw, that reminds me of my childhood (or whatever)." We need a word for warm fuzzies!

Japanese is actually filled with these. My students are always asking me what a word literally means, and I have to explain that there isn't a direct translation. A common example is "itadakimasu," which is said before you eat and is literally is something like, "I'll receive it," and is meant to convey appreciation for the food you've been given.
 

Layla Nahar

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I don't how long it's been since I've learned a word I totally didn't know before. I love this word.

'marplot' looks to be made of mar and plot, right? and by the definition above definition seems to mean to 'a person who spoils the plan'. 'arigata' means indebtedness, 'meiwaku' is problem. It seems at heart they're different, but in practice they would be interchangeable in a lot of circumstances. But how would you use 'marplot' in day to day living? It sounds like a colleague who messed with your career might be a marplot. Having somebody important to stay at your house would be an arigata-meiwaku, you should be grateful to be so honored but they might be expensive or high-mainteance, thus the meiwaku. (Although, say, if you had Mother come to visit when you have the place to your self for the weekend and want to be with your new SO you'd have both...)
 

fireluxlou

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I learnt a new one the other day 'prepone' it's a common word in India, coined in India, it means to 'To reschedule to a time earlier than the current scheduled time' or 'bring forward'. I think it's now accepted in the OED.
 

cmi0616

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"Kummerspek" translates to "grief bacon," a word that finally acknowledges that when we are under a crushing weight of sadness or stress, many of us skip alcohol and narcotics in favor of delicious fried meats.

Hahaha that's great.
 

muravyets

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I don't how long it's been since I've learned a word I totally didn't know before. I love this word.

'marplot' looks to be made of mar and plot, right?
Exactly.

and by the definition above definition seems to mean to 'a person who spoils the plan'. 'arigata' means indebtedness, 'meiwaku' is problem. It seems at heart they're different, but in practice they would be interchangeable in a lot of circumstances. But how would you use 'marplot' in day to day living? It sounds like a colleague who messed with your career might be a marplot. Having somebody important to stay at your house would be an arigata-meiwaku, you should be grateful to be so honored but they might be expensive or high-mainteance, thus the meiwaku. (Although, say, if you had Mother come to visit when you have the place to your self for the weekend and want to be with your new SO you'd have both...)
Indeed, especially if Mother came over to help you have fun that weekend because she decided you'd have nothing to do all by yourself. Then she would not only be marring your plot, i.e. ruining your weekend plans through her officious meddling, she'd be doing it in the original spirit of Mr. Marplot.

And of course, how can you say no to Mom?
 

flapperphilosopher

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I read a whole book of these once... I forgot the name but thanks to the magic of Google I re-found it. The Meaning of Tingo, by Adam Jacot de Boinod. I love these kinds of things so much.


I don't know if I'm spelling this correctly, but "gluka vether" means "window weather" in Icelandic. It refers to weather that is pretty to look at but you wouldn't want to be out in it.

Living in Calgary (Canada), I need this so much!!
 

Chasing the Horizon

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Are there any words you wish existed, in English or any other Earth-language?
I write secondary-world fantasy about fundamentally different cultures, so I could rant about this all night. I'll settle for complaining about our extreme lack of vulgar curse words not referring in some way to sex. How are the people in my society which considers free love beautiful and desirable supposed to swear???? Stupid Puritanical language.

Obviously I make up my own swear vocabularies for my different cultures, but I'm lazy and want English to just have more choice of cringe-worthy vulgarities.
 

frimble3

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When I first read the 'arigata-meiwaku' description, I thought of my dad, who was some kind of Arigata-Meiwaku master. Let him find out that you're planning to get new window blinds, and he turns up with almost the right color, almost the right size (either to small, or needs serious trimming to fit) or not the kind you were thinking of at all.
But, he went to all the trouble of getting them, and they were so cheap, and, after all, what do aesthetics matter when he saved you so much money! So, not only do you have blinds you didn't want, can't change without him noticing, and have to re-imburse him for, but you have to say 'thank you'.
 

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I like the German Pachesel.
It means the guy who who follows around his girlfriend or wife in the mall, carrying all the packages with his head down like a mule.
 

RichardGarfinkle

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Not quite on topic, but ancient Greek had two grammatical structures that I wish could be rendered in English.

1. Dual person. For saying we two do this verb.

2. Middle voice ( In addition to passive and active voice). A middle voiced action is active, but for the benefit of the actor. Allowing one to say in one word! " I'm doing this for me."
 

robertbevan

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my favorite has always been the italian word "sprezzatura". in fact, that may be the only italian i remember from taking it for two years in college.

from wikipedia:

Sprezzatura (Italian pronunciation: [sprettsaˈtura]) is an Italian word originating from Baldassare Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier, where it is defined by the author as "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it".[1] It is the ability of the courtier to display "an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hides the conscious effort that went into them".[2] Sprezzatura has also been described "as a form of defensive irony: the ability to disguise what one really desires, feels, thinks, and means or intends behind a mask of apparent reticence and nonchalance".[3]
 

aruna

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Just one that I want to use all the time: Natsukashii, Japanese, which is usually translated as "nostalgic." However, it's a word that describes the nice warm fuzzies you get when remembering something from your past. It sounds silly in English to say, "Aaaw, that's nostalgic." It's the perfect word, but sadly most Americans don't have a clue if you say it. :tongue The closest I can think of would be more like, "Aw, that reminds me of my childhood (or whatever)." We need a word for warm fuzzies!

Japanese is actually filled with these. My students are always asking me what a word literally means, and I have to explain that there isn't a direct translation. A common example is "itadakimasu," which is said before you eat and is literally is something like, "I'll receive it," and is meant to convey appreciation for the food you've been given.


German is like that too; I love it. Their custom of combining words (like Kummerspeck, above) means that you they create some beautiful word pictures that really describe the indescribable beautifully.Some of them are on this website: 12 German words you won't find in English.
Examples:

Verschlimmbessern
There's being hamfisted, or putting your foot in it, or there's just plain clumsiness, but in German there's the very specific act of verschlimmbessern, which is when you make something worse in the very act of trying to improve it. "Oh no, that extra piece of cheesecake, far from being nutritious, has just verschlimmbessert my digestive tract."

Treppenwitz
Another wonderful German word, for a bittersweet situation familiar to everyone on the planet. The Treppenwitz, literally "stair-joke," is the brilliant comeback you think of when you're already out of the door and halfway down the stairs. "And you, sir, are a prick! Ach! If only I'd thought of that at the time!"

Handschuhschneeballwerfer
Everyone hates the coward willing to criticize and abuse from a safe distance. The Germans equate that person with the lowest of the low: the one who wears gloves when throwing snowballs. As far as they're concerned, a snowball fight is not a snowball fight until someone gets frostbite.


Fremdschämen
This is a truly vital word, missing from English, and indeed every language in the world (probably) - except German. It means to be ashamed FOR someone else. How often have you wanted to express that feeling in one neat, perfect word? "Yes, I was very fremdgeschämt when I read the new book by Women's Minister Kristina Schröder." Fifty Shades of Grey.


I also love the very simple word "doch". "Doch" is a positive answer to a negative question. For example: "So you won't be coming to my birthday party?" "Doch." Meaning, yes, I will.
 

Drachen Jager

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Picking German words isn't really fair though. You can make your own words in German, just as you'd hyphenate certain words to combine them in English, you combine them in German, simply without the hyphens.
 

aruna

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Yes; but the words I picked are not the LITERAL translations. They are combined words used to denote something metaphorically; for instance, the Treppenwitz. You would not understand the sense in which it is used merely from the words: Stair-joke has no literal meaning. It is given the meaning of "a come-back that comes too late." Same with Handschuhscneeballwerfer. It doesn't literally mean someone who throws snowballs with gloves.

And my favourite "doch" is not a compound noun.
 
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Once!

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In a very small and highly specialised corner of the English language, there's a word that I invented.

Okay, okay, so it's not in the dictionaries yet. And it's still a capitalised acronym - the linguistic equivalent of still being in nappies/ diapers. But it's out there, and I'm it's Daddy. And I couldn't be prouder of my little word if I tried. And - what's more - people other than me use it.

You see, one of my other lives is playing chess. There is a chess website called chessgames.com which is very much like AB except their grammar isn't as good. And on that website I go by the alias of Once. Without the "!". I only added that here because this site doesn't accept four letter names.

And it turned out that chess didn't have a name for a position where one player isn't directly threatened yet, but can do nothing to stop a vicious attack coming next move. The chess equivalent of a choke-hold.

And the word is ... drum roll please .... GOOT. Which is short for "Get Out Of That".

You can't believe the thrill when I see someone casually say "this position is a GOOT." Sure, it's not a book deal. It's not a Man Booker nomination. It's not the same as being called the next Dan Brown.

But it's my little word. Out there in the wide world on unsteady legs. How far will it go? I really don't know. I may be its Daddy but it belongs to the chess community now. They might stop using it, or it may find its way into the lexicon. Which is sort of exciting, in a very very small way.
 

aruna

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I see from the OP l list that Treppenwitz is listed there as French as well, but not in one word:
L’esprit de l’escalier (French): usually translated as “staircase wit,” is the act of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late to deliver it

I love this one:
14 Manja (Malay): “to pamper”, it describes gooey, childlike and coquettish behavior by women designed to elicit sympathy or pampering by men. “His girlfriend is a damn manja. Hearing her speak can cause diabetes.”

Hindi and Sanskrit deliver some beautiful words unknown in English. For instance, Dharma: a combination of duty, right action, ethical behaviour: knowing what is to be done in the right place and time, in consideration of all its implications and consquences. Untranslatable!
 
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