Seven untranslatable words you will want to start using immediately

Sometimes it’s necessary to turn to other cultures to find the perfect word for a feeling or situation:

Kabelsalat (German)

A mess of very tangled cables, literally a “cable-salad”

Kilig (Tagalog)

The feeling of butterflies in one’s stomach

Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan)

A silent understanding between two people both thinking the same thing, and unwilling to initiate anything

Pisan Zapra (Malay)

The time needed to eat a banana

Razliubit (Russian)

To fall out of love

Trepverter (Yiddish)

A witty riposte one thinks of only when it is too late to use, literally, “staircase words”

Wabi-sabi (Japanese)

Finding beauty in the imperfections, an acceptance of the cycle of life and death

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