Emotions you need to travel across the world to feel — because they don't exist in the English language!
Reason enough to pack your bags and land right into another culture
A language so all-encompassing. Yet, as far as our emotions are concerned, there are no dearth of those little cracks and crevices which just can't be verbalised. Lest we let our minds (and occasionally our bodies) travel to a whole new culture to experience them. These should be your inspiration cue when you book that year-end vacation waiting to happen.
Koi No Yokan
From: Japan
How many times in the depths of your heartbreak despair has someone told you that 'love is around the corner'? Koi No Yokan is a Japanese word that literally means, "the premonition of love". It's that indescribable gut feeling you get when you meet someone, and know very little about them, yet somehow know that you'll very soon be falling in love with them. Beautiful, and exhilarating when reciprocated.
Jayus
From: Indonesia
A PJ. That's what Indonesian word Jayus stands for. It's when a joke is so poor, or told so disjointly, that it elicits a chuckle for simply how amusing the moment is. We all have someone of the sort in our lives. As a matter of fact you can name them 'jayus' right away, because the term is also used to refer to a person who frequently engages in such meta-hilarious behaviour.
Litost
From: Czech
We've all been there. Feelings of despair and detest, especially in today's day and age, isn't rare. It's instead the norm. But Czech word Litost stands to denote the sudden crushing realisation of that very state of despair. While this does sound awful, it's always darkest before the dawn and litost stands to capture that very moment of transition.
Mamihlapinatapai
From: South America
Tierra del Fuego's mamihlapinatapai from the Yaghan language will give you the butterflies. Because that's exactly what the word's about! You know that feeling when two people look at each other, both waiting for the other to initiate something they both desire but don't have it in them to begin themselves? That's exactly what mamihlapinatapai means.
Sisu
From: Finland
Trust the Finnish people to come up with this from their icy cold terrain. The word sisu refers to an extraordinary sense of grit and determination to persist, even in the face of adversity. It's sheer human willpower, but in a word dedicated to the intensity of it, which most don't realise in the moment. People often see resilience in a negative light. Sisu instead, celebrates it.
Wabi Sabi
From: Japan
The second Japanese term on this list, Wabi Sabi is a beautiful philosophy that finds peace in imperfection — as a matter of fact, it honours it as the core essence of life and living. Things bloom, then decay. People age. What was once inseparable, outgrows us. But that is the whole point. And it's not sad, as per wabi sabi. It's poignant, and beautiful.
Yuanfen
From: China
You must've seen a handful of reels about the red string theory — it's that invisible pull which keeps two people connected ever so slightly, till destiny deems it fit for them to unite completely. China's yuanfen reflects the same magic, referring to two people who are fated to belong to one another. It's destiny's plan.
So which of these emotions are you gunning to be wrapped in first?
