Untranslatable words for love from around the world
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Across the globe, many cultures have words for love and attachment that don't have a direct English equivalent.
Why it matters: As Valentine's Day approaches, borrowing a word from another language could help you say what "love" alone can't.
- Between the lines: Axios Finish Line readers recommended that we write about some of these words as part of our ongoing series on untranslatable words.
The big picture: English heavily relies on the "L" word to talk about all manner of deep connection — which could say something about our culture's comfort with big feelings.
- "It's not necessarily a bad thing," says Ben Kramer, a linguist and course designer at Duolingo. "There's also something beautiful" about viewing feelings for a relative on the same level as those for a romantic partner, he says.
In Japanese, the phrase koi no yokan means the premonition of love — the idea that you will be in love with the person in the future.
- No, that's not the same as "love at first sight," Kramer tells Axios.
- The Japanese have another word for that — "hitomebore," which is notable, Kramer says, because until recently they used a single word for both blue and green.
In Arabic, ya'aburnee means "you bury me." In other words, you love someone so much that you need them to outlive you because you can't go on without them.
- There are words in Arabic for different levels of affection, but for expressing love, that is the "most pure" way, Kramer says.
In American Sign Language, there are also multiple ways to express that you love someone. The same is true for Norwegian (elske is the most intense) and Spanish (te amo vs. te quiero).
- The Ancient Greeks also recognized different types of love.
In Welsh, hiraeth is a longing for a place, time or person that can't be reached.
- On a similar melancholic note, German has abschiedsschmerz, which literally means "departure pain." It describes a feeling for a loved one who comes for a visit and then has to leave, Kramer says.
In Korean, jeong describes a specific kind of attachment, a fondness between two people or for an object that builds over time.
- Meanwhile, the Yiddish phrase bashert translates to "destiny," and can be used to describe finding a soulmate.
In French, mon petit chou literally means "my little cabbage," but is a term of endearment like the English "honey."
- German and Danish have loving pet names that mean "treasure," Kramer says, while in Swedish a term that can mean "little old person" can also be affectionately used to describe a loved one.
The bottom line: Love is universal, but sometimes it sounds better in another language.
