Untranslatable Emotions

Dr. Tim Lomas, a psychology researcher, started something called the Positive Lexicography Project with the goal of finding precise words for various positive emotions in non-English languages that English itself lacks. Examples include:

Desbundar (Portuguese) - letting everything go when having fun
Tarab (Arabic) - a musically induced trance
Shinrin-yoku (Japanese) - relaxation in a forest (potentially figuratively)
Gigil (Filipino) - the desire to pinch or squeeze someone because they are cherished
Yuan bei (Chinese) - a sense of perfect accomplishment
Iktsuarpok (Inuktitut) - when you continuously check for someone's arrival in anticipation
Natsukashii (Japanese) - nostalgia for a fond memory, with sadness it is past
Wabi-sabi (Japanese) - an exaltation of transience and imperfection in beauty
Saudade (Portuguese) - a deep longing for something that may never exist
Sehnsucht (German) - a desire for alternative (possibly unattainable) kinds of life
Dadirri (Ngangiwumirr) - deeply reflective listening
Pihentagyú (Hungarian) - having a state of mind for creating sophisticated jokes and solutions on the fly
Sukha (Sanskrit) - genuine lasting happiness independent of circumstance

Embedded in a language is a culture's state of mind: the words people invent encapsulate the ideas that are most important to those people. Lomas believes identifying precise words for complex emotions can help articulate whole areas of experience we’ve only dimly noticed.