Untranslatable Words From Around the World

My favorites from this incredible list: 20 Untranslatable Words From Around the World

1. Toska

Russian – 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 of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”

3. Jayus

Indonesian – “A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh” 

10. Cafuné

Brazilian Portuguese – “The act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair.” 

12. Torschlusspanik

German – Translated literally, this word means “gate-closing panic,” but its contextual meaning refers to “the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.”

13. Wabi-Sabi

Japanese – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.” 

15. Tingo

Pascuense (Easter Island) – Hopefully this isn’t a word you’d need often: “the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them.” 

16. Hyggelig

Danish – Its “literal” translation into English gives connotations of a warm, friendly, cozy demeanor, but it’s unlikely that these words truly capture the essence of a hyggelig; it’s likely something that must be experienced to be known. I think of good friends, cold beer, and a warm fire. 

17. L’appel du vide

French – “The call of the void” is this French expression’s literal translation, but more significantly it’s used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.

18. Ya’aburnee

Arabic – Both morbid and beautiful at once, this incantatory word means “You bury me,” a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them.

19. Duende

Spanish – While originally used to describe a mythical, spritelike entity that possesses humans and creates the feeling of awe of one’s surroundings in nature, its meaning has transitioned into referring to “the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.” 

20. Saudade

Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade.

And a second list...
(source: http://www.makethelist.net/10-untranslatable-words/

2 Bilita Mpash (Bantu)

It perhaps reflects on our culture somewhat that in English we have the word nightmare for a bad dream, but no opposite equivalent. We can only assume that in the Niger-Congo region of Africa they have sweeter sleeps, as Bilita Mpash means not just a good dream, but a ‘legendary, blissful state where all is forgiven and forgotten’. The word has reportedly made its way into African-American slang in the bastardised form ‘beluthathatchee’.

8 Qualunquismo (Italian)

A word which could almost certainly be added to most modern societies’ lexicons, qualunquismo means to be indifferent to political and social issues. OThe term is originally derived from the name of satirical political journal L’uomo qualunque.

9 Ondinnonk (Iroquoian)

A truly uplifting word from the Iroquois tribes of North America, Ondinnonk means the soul’s innermost desires and its angelic nature. To follow one’s ondinnonk can often lead to positive and kindly acts.

10 Zalatwic (Polish)

Born out of the difficulties imposed by the state during Poland’s Communist regime, zalatwic means to accomplish something unofficially using acquaintances. This could range from trading simple foodstuffs to swapping homes.