Untranslatable
Words no language could replace
Some concepts are so specific to a culture that other languages simply borrowed the word whole — a linguistic surrender.
325
Words
142
Languages
6
Themes
Related themes
Latin19
Greek
18German15
French15
Japanese12
Italian10
Maori
3Javanese
2Khmer
2Zulu1
Yiddish from Hebrew
1Portuguese (from Chinese/Sanskrit)
1Russian (from Sami)
1Bantu (various)
1Kimbundu (Angola)
1French (place name)
1Old French from Latin/Greek
1Tupi via Portuguese
1West African (Mande languages, via French)
1Greek (via Latin)
1Aramaic
1French (from Greek)
1Greek (modern coinage)
1Bantu (Kongo)
1Kimbundu / Haitian Creole
1English (technical)
1French/Italian (origin debated)
1German (Swiss dialect)
1English (from Middle English barre)
1Powhatan (Algonquian)
1Algonquian (Virginia Algonquian)
1Papuan Malay (via Malay)
1Polish / Turkic origin
1Hindi / Urdu (hybrid of English + Arabic)
1Spanish (possibly from Portuguese or Khoikhoi)
1Noongar (Australian Aboriginal)
1Amharic / Ge'ez
1Romani (from Sanskrit/Hindi)
1Louisiana French (from Spanish la ñapa, from Quechua yapay)
1Spanish (sobre + mesa)
1Spanish (vaca + -ero)
1Nyungar (Aboriginal Australian)
1Javanese / Malay
1Yiddish (from Hebrew)
1Tupi (via Portuguese)
1Louisiana Creole French
1Okinawan / Japanese
1Arabic (place name)
1Cantonese
1Old French (from Frankish/Germanic)
1Middle English / Germanic
1Scandinavian / Middle English
1Old Norse / Scandinavian
1Sinhalese
1English (coined from Tanzania)
1Dutch / German
1Filipino (Tagalog)
1Amharic / Tigrinya
1Amharic / Ge'ez (Beta Israel)
1Northern Sami (spoken in Finland, Norway, Sweden)
1Lithuanian (also Latvian: dziesma)
1Brazilian Portuguese
1English from Old French / Latin
1Danish
1Bugis
1Tupi1
Serbian
1Old French (from Frankish *graban)
1Old French (from Latin dos)
1American English (disputed)
1Medieval Latin (from Germanic)
1Coined (American English, 1890s)
1German (from the Neander Valley)
1Tagalog (Filipino)
1Italian (from Greek tympanon)
1Old French (from Latin signum)
1Yaghan
1Igbo (Central Africa)
1Cornish (English dialect)
1Maltese
1Mapudungun
1Rapa Nui
1Tahitian
1Sámi
1Marshallese
1Khmer from Sanskrit
1Uruguayan Spanish
1Chinese
1English from Old French
1Pali1