ADVERTISEMENT

Every language boasts words that are one of a kind. While certain ones are easier to pronounce, others might make a foreigner sound like Pink Panther trying to buy a dam-burrr-gheur. Some, though, are charming because they are oddly specific. For instance, the Japanese word for a lonely mouth (kuchisabishii) or the Finnish one describing a person drinking in his underwear in just several syllables (kalsarikännit).

Here at Bored Panda, we have gathered some of these fascinating linguistic gems for you to read. Shared by the r/AskReddit community members, they might be something you want to add to your vocabulary.

If you enjoy learning about unique terminology, don’t miss the chance to browse the list of times people were confused by the English language for some more entertaining content about languages.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Komorebi (木漏れ日)

Japanese for sunlight that shines through trees. I like the sound of the word but also the fact that a word for such a concept exists in the first place.

Bratfahrer , JOHN TOWNER Report

Final score:
408points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

According to Ethnologue, there are currently over seven thousand languages, however, more than half of the world’s population only use 23 of them. Sadly, as much as 40% of the languages are spoken by less than a thousand people, which puts them on the endangered list.

Data from 2022 shows that out of the 23 languages, the most popular one is English, followed by Mandarin Chinese. The third on the list is Hindi, then Spanish, and French taking fifth place by a thread, as Standard Arabic is left a close sixth. 
#2

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Saudade - Portuguese for 'a nostalgic longing for something that no longer exists and knowing that it may never return'. What a lovely word.

Wise-Guarantee-6665 , Ahmed Nishaath Report

Final score:
353points
Add photo comments
POST
gaya_knust avatar
Gaya Knust
Gaya Knust
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not quite correct the explanation. Saudade can also mean (and this is the most common definitionvactually) missing someone or something you haven't seen/had for a long time, but still exists. For example, you haven't seen you best friend for months, so you miss them, you have saudade. Or even have saudade (ter saudade) of eating your favourite apple pie, for example.

Vote comment up
24
24points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#3

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Verschlimmbesserung - German noun for an attempted improvement that only makes things worse

JR_0507 , Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 Report

Final score:
320points
Add photo comments
POST
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

In some countries, citizens speak more than one language. This is true for some countries in Europe, such as Switzerland, Luxembourg, or Belgium, and beyond—South Africa and India, for instance. But one of them stands out from the rest. The country with the most languages is Papua New Guinea with an astonishing number of nearly 850.

Home to such a variety of speech, the country has a population of fewer than 9.5 million people. A large part of it comprises indigenous groups, some of which have less than a thousand people speaking their mother tongue. Unfortunately, that puts these exceptional languages in danger of disappearing.
#4

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using kalsarikännit - originating in Finland, in which the drinker consumes alcoholic drinks at home, dressed in as little clothing as possible, mainly in underwear with no intention of going out.

evendronesflyaway , Matheus Frade Report

Final score:
296points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#5

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using It is a phrase not a word, but in Italian, to say "I love you", you usually say "ti voglio bene", which literally means "I want well for you". In english "love" means so many different things and I feel like this idea "I want well for you" encapsulates what love really means.

mr_taco_man , micheile dot com Report

Final score:
271points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Papua New Guinea alone has 35 times more languages than there are official ones in the European Union. However, Europe has more than the 24 official ones that can be seen on the EU documents. 

The continent is home to roughly 200 languages, ranging from well-known English, Spanish, and French, to the less widely-represented ones, such as Basque, Gaelic, or Flemish. Based on the number of native speakers, the most popular one in Europe is Russian, followed by German, French, and Italian. English takes fifth place for the number of native speakers, however, it is the golden prize winner when it comes to learning a second language. 
#6

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Água-Viva (Brazil/Portuguese), it’s jellyfish but if you translate it word by word it means “alive-water”.

NicholasTOPark , Connor Carruthers Report

Final score:
227points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#7

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Meerschweinchen, it’s German for Guinea Pigs, I like it because it literally means “little sea pigs”. Which makes no sense.

AdvantageBig568 , Bonnie Kittle Report

Final score:
220points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#8

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Tokidoki - “sometimes” in Japanese, just really fun to say lol

rogue_rocketeer_ , Timo Volz Report

Final score:
218points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

English is currently the lingua franca of the world, however, knowing other languages can open a lot of doors as well. You can get better acquainted with certain cultures as it enables you to communicate with the locals. It can also be useful at work or going through lists of funny foreign words, some of which might be familiar if you’re bilingual or multilingual. Recent data shows that around 43% of the world’s population is bilingual.
#9

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using kuchisabishii (Japanese). Kuchi means mouth and sabishii means lonely. Kuchisabishii means you're longing to put something on your mouth - essentially the feeling you have when you eat something (or chew on your nails or pencil) because your mouth feels bored.

redsterXVI , Farhad Ibrahimzade Report

Final score:
209points
Add photo comments
POST
View more commentsArrow down menu
#10

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Krankenwagen

German for ambulance.

8thFurno , Jonnica Hill Report

Final score:
207points
Add photo comments
POST
View more commentsArrow down menu
#11

"wihajster" (pronounced: vee-hay-ster) in Polish, which is a placeholder, when you don't know what some object is or what it does. It comes from German "wie heißt er?" (“what's it called?”).

ArtemisAndromeda Report

Final score:
166points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Some languages are considered easier to learn than others. Among the most difficult ones, you might often see Mandarin, Arabic, or Korean. These tongue-twisting systems of words feature a distinctive set of rules or other subtleties that make grasping them quite a quest.

For instance, Mandarin is a tonal language, which means it relies heavily on intonation. The same sound usually has four different transcriptions and meanings, depending on how the voice is used. Arabic is no easier as it usually features four different ways of writing every letter and reads from right to left, unlike most of the other languages. Korean is a challenge on its own as it is an isolate, meaning it does not belong to any larger family of languages.
#12

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Papillon. Means butterfly in french and its fun to say

kk1289 , Michele Bergami Report

Final score:
157points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#13

Myötähäpeä

That’s Finish for secondhand embarrassment. My native language doesn’t have the word for it so I use myotahapea instead.

Horace_The_Mute Report

Final score:
154points
Add photo comments
POST
lilliemean avatar
LillieMean
LillieMean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course, that word has a more beautiful sister myötätunto which means compassion.

Vote comment up
7
7points
Vote comment down
reply
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#14

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Yalla in Arabic means hurry up let's go or right now depending how you use it

Ntayeh , Gigi Report

Final score:
131points
Add photo comments
POST
laurablubelle avatar
Mari Mar Pinta
Mari Mar Pinta
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's something! My Grampa from my Mom's side always says "HALLA HALLA!" and for the very same reasons too! And we're Puerto Rican! 🤭

Vote comment up
51
51points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

There are believed to be around 142 language families in the world. Some of the most popular ones include Niger-Congo (which has 1536 languages), Austronesian (with 1225), Trans New-Guinea (with 476), Sino-Tibetan (456), Indo-European (447 languages), and Afro-Asiatic (369).
#15

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Die!!!!

It means stop/ enough in Hebrew.

My kids yell it at anything/one that frustrates them.

litvisherebbetzin , Will Porada Report

Final score:
131points
Add photo comments
POST
vidimlic62 avatar
Mimi777
Mimi777
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Bosnian it’s spelled daj but sounds like die, it means give. Sounded kinda weird when my kid was just starting to talk and kept repeating die die die to me in the restaurant one time because she wanted some water.

Vote comment up
15
15points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#16

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Ikigai - lit. The Fruit of Life (in Japanese).

It is the philosophy of how to live a good life, it's elements and how to exercise them.

ImpeachedPeach , David Marcu Report

Final score:
131points
Add photo comments
POST
fueledbycoffee22019 avatar
Lissah Mackenzie
Lissah Mackenzie
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Kaizen" is a Japanese philosophy where each day is an opportunity to improve, even if it's just by a little

Vote comment up
68
68points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#17

*Lebensmüde* - Lebensmüde is a compound noun made up of the words Leben (life) and müde (tired). It, therefore, translates to 'life tired' and describes the feeling of being tired or weary.

Black_Crow_Dog Report

Final score:
127points
Add photo comments
POST
sonja_6 avatar
Sonja
Sonja
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is wrong. It describes a person showing risky behaviour that could cause them to get seriously harmed. It has nothing to do with being tired. For example a person balancing on a chair on top of a desk to change a lightbulb could cause someone to exclaim: are you lebensmüde? Come down there! It's used similarly to the exclamation: are you nuts? When witnessing risky and life threatening behaviour.

Vote comment up
19
19points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

A smaller family of languages—known as Dravidian—boasts 24 of them, one of which is considered to be one of the oldest languages still spoken today. It is called Tamil and is used by over 85 million native speakers, mostly in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. Other ancient languages used to this day include but are not limited to Sanskrit, Hebrew, Egyptian, and Greek.
#18

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using puto
sometimes it's rice

sometimes it's swear

you'll never know

DependentPoint2458 , Pille R. Priske Report

Final score:
115points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#19

My favorite word or phrase really, is "Oh la, la, c'est cher"–which means, "Oh my, it's expensive," in French. It was one of the first phrases I learned in middle school when I started taking French as an elective. When I went home and shared with my mom what I learned, she was so amused by how the alarming phrase sounded. She couldn't stop laughing.T his led to her constantly asking me to repeat it whenever we were in the presence of her friends, and I milked it. This is one of my treasured memories of my mother.

unknow Report

Final score:
108points
Add photo comments
POST
lacmani44 avatar
Mani Lacao
Mani Lacao
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The "Oh la la la" is quite a stereotype, it's used but really not as much as people believe. People would rather say "Putain c'est cher"

Vote comment up
45
45points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#20

“Tabarnak!” I love how, instead of being bodily-function based like English swear words, French Canadian sacres are mostly related to Catholicism. This one is my favourite as it’s the rough equivalent of the versatile “f**k” swear in English, so many uses.

jerrys153 Report

Final score:
106points
Add photo comments
POST
tobb-1 avatar
WindySwede
WindySwede
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well Pandas, use this instead of the ordinary english swear words? To stop the censoring? :)

Vote comment up
83
83points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

Even though unique languages are something to be cherished, there is a way to connect with the rest of the world using only one foreign one. Created by a Polish doctor Ludwig L. Zamenhof back in 1887, Esperanto is a universal language, which is politically and socially neutral. It does not belong to any country or ethnicity, and is believed to be easy to learn due to its uncomplicated structure and straightforward phonetics. According to Esperanto.net, there are roughly two million speakers in the world.
#21

Winkel. It means "shop" in Dutch.

MrRonObvious Report

Final score:
86points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#22

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using sanguagsuga - “blood-sucker” leech or bed bug in italian. can be used to describe a person too.

ElectricalCod9533 , GlebK Report

Final score:
84points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#23

oiseaux



its french for "birds" and none of it is pronounced the way it looks like it should

QueenAmpharos Report

Final score:
80points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

Another unique language enabling more people to communicate is sign language. Based on physical movements, such as hand gestures, grimaces, and pointing, it allows people to carry out a conversation when it’s not possible to do so verbally. There are around 300 sign languages worldwide, as they differ depending on the country or region where they are used.
#24

Susurra. Spanish for whisper!

eric_trump_laptop03 Report

Final score:
80points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#25

Cwtch - Welsh for a cuddle

chemo92 Report

Final score:
80points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

Kunst.

To an English ear, it sounds distinctly uncultured but it means 'art'

There's a heck of a lot of Deutsche in this list.

TabbyOverlord Report

Final score:
75points
Add photo comments
POST
eddakamphues avatar
Edda Kamphues
Edda Kamphues
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Try teaching a bunch of 12-year-olds the German words for 'school subjects'. Firstly 'school subject' is: Fach. We largely use the plural: "Fächer'. Usually entices less snorting laughter.

Vote comment up
37
37points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda

As if learning certain languages wasn’t difficult enough, they often comprise dialects that vary depending on the region as well. And dealing with some of them might be quite a pickle. For example, you might think you know British English, but talking to someone with a Geordie dialect can throw you off guard nevertheless. Such instances might require a minute or two (or an hour, to be fair) to get accustomed to the slightly different version.

Defining the number of dialects is not an easy task to do as some of them might be considered languages on their own. However, Chinese, for instance, is believed to have eight different ones, while Arabic boasts over 25 dialects.
#27

Jalan Tikus (Indonesian: Mouse streets) back streets.

mickymazda Report

Final score:
71points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

Parapluie - French for “umbrella”

chriswei2k Report

Final score:
67points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

Lebensabschnittpartner = Lover or Partner *lit. The Person I am with Today*

Estrella = Star

積ん読 = Acquiring books and letting them pile up unread

Sadimal Report

Final score:
66points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda

Languages are fascinating in so many ways. What seems like a simple form of communication is actually so complex and intricate, it might take ages to learn one. Even then, can you ever really say you know a language? Whether it’s our mother tongue or a foreign concept we’re trying to grasp, both might feature certain words we are still unfamiliar with. And, without a shade of doubt, all languages have words that are worth adding to this list.
#30

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Kitanai, or dirty in Japanese. It’s amusing to say at any minor mess like a disappointed mom

ViForYourAttention Report

Final score:
61points
Add photo comments
POST
c-chotwattakawanich avatar
Passerby
Passerby
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Interestingly, kirei in Japanese means both clean and beautiful/pretty.

Vote comment up
19
19points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#31

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using chèri

which translates to “darling” in english. idk why i love that term so much it sounds so sexy omg

a1rxx , Shea Rouda Report

Final score:
58points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#32

When I was a kid, the first Xbox 360 game I ever got was a Spanish copy of Halo 3 (I don't speak Spanish). At the beginning of the campaign, the characters keep saying "careful" over and over again. Because of this, "cuidado" has become one of my favorite Spanish words, and the voice they used has become my default voice to say other Spanish words. My other favorite has to be "resbaloso". A large, exaggerated r roll and a boisterous tone just makes this one of the most fun words to say in any language.

AdriftMusic Report

Final score:
54points
Add photo comments
POST
lunacrow avatar
Luna Crow
Luna Crow
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I get this. Eons ago, when movies came on VHS, my VCR got stuck in Spanish mode somehow, and while rewinding the tapes it proclaimed "Rebobinar" on screen, which I still find to be an oddly hilarious word for no reason

Vote comment up
21
21points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#33

English
*Serendipity*

D'harawal (an Australian Aboriginal language)
*Wurunin* (joy)

Spanish
*Cucaracha* (cockroack) - because of the song

Italian
*Dolcemente* (gently)

German
*Gemütlichkeit* (cosiness and contentment)*
**Updated below*

French
*Soixante-dix* (seventy)

Turkish
*Kesinlikle!* (exactly!)

Indonesian
*Terima kasih* (thanks)

Singlish
*Can* (both a question and a statement)

Arabic
*Wallah Wallah* (I swear!)

Russian
*я машина!* 'Ya mashina!' [(I'm the Machine!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paG1-lPtIXA)

-qqqwwweeerrrtttyyy- Report

Final score:
50points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

Zou ba - let’s go in Chinese. It’s easy and fun to say.

Seeulaterbobbafet Report

Final score:
47points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#35

Cacahuete means peanut in French. I like saying it;)

happyme321 Report

Final score:
46points
Add photo comments
POST
muhammadfarabi avatar
Muhammad Farabi
Muhammad Farabi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Canadian French it's "pinotte"

Vote comment up
21
21points
Vote comment down
reply
sandraslingerland avatar
Sandra Slingerland
Sandra Slingerland
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I bet that is like le sweatère for sweater and le train for train (instead of le chemin de fer) Typical Québecois.

Vote comment up
2
2points
Vote comment down
reply
Load More Replies...
pabloramos avatar
Pablo Ramos
Pablo Ramos
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is actually native Mexican: Cacahuatl is peanuts. Chocolatl is also native Mexican and I bet you know what it means.

Vote comment up
6
6points
Vote comment down
reply
jessican_ avatar
Jessica N.
Jessica N.
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pichichi (Spanish for top scorer respectively Torschützenkönig (German)

Vote comment up
0
0points
Vote comment down
reply
gerardjulien avatar
gerard julien
gerard julien
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

from spanish : " the conquistadors found the tlālcacahuatl (the plant's Nahuatl name, hence the name in Spanish cacahuete) . "

Vote comment up
0
0points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
#36

赤く (akaku)

Just red in Japanese lol

Savings_Way_550 Report

Final score:
12points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#37

"My Native Language Doesn't Have The Word For It": 35 People Share What Words In Foreign Languages They Absolutely Love Using Poptiping (I think that's how it's spelled), it means microwave

shaun4519 , Howard Bouchevereau Report

Final score:
12points
Add photo comments
POST
omniblake-2010 avatar
Blake
Blake
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No it’s popty ping and it’s a Welsh word (popty means oven so literally pinging oven)

Vote comment up
6
6points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#38

Gardanapos, tissue in Portuguese

jlurosa Report

Final score:
10points
Add photo comments
POST
gaya_knust avatar
Gaya Knust
Gaya Knust
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope, it means napkin. And it has a u. And its plural here. Guardanapo = napkin. Guardanapos = napkins. Tissue = lenço

Vote comment up
13
13points
Vote comment down
reply

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!