A great article at Quartz, “There are hundreds of positive emotions that have no direct English translation“.
Examples given in the article:
- Ah-un (Japanese): Unspoken communication between close friends
- Að jenna (Icelandic): The ability to persevere through hard or boring tasks
- Cafune (Portuguese): Tenderly running fingers through a loved one’s hair
- Fargin (Yiddish): To glow with pride at the success of others
- Gökotta (Swedish): Waking up early to hear the first birds sing
- Gula (Spanish): The desire to eat simply for the taste
- Iktsuarpok (Inuit): The anticipation felt when waiting for someone
- Kreng-jai (Thai): The wish to not trouble someone by burdening them
- Mbuki-mvuki (Bantu): To shed clothes to dance uninhibited
- Querencia (Spanish): A secure place from which one draws strength
- Santosha (Sanskrit): Contentment arising from personal interaction
- Sarang (Korean): The wish to be with someone until death
- Schnapsidee (German): An ingenious plan hatched while drunk
- Seijaku (Japanese): Serenity in the midst of chaos
- Sobremesa (Spanish): When the food is gone but the conversation is still flowing
- Tarab (Arabic): Musically-induced ecstasy or enchantment
- Toska (Russian): A wistful longing for one’s homeland
- Uitwaain (Dutch): Walking in the wind for fun
- Waldeinsamskeit (German): A mysterious feeling of solitude in the woods
- Yuan fen (Chinese): A binding force impelling a destined relationship
- Yutta-hey (Cherokee): Leaving life at its zenith; departing in glory.
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