Boketto

Meaning: Staring off into the distance with your mind pleasantly empty, thinking of nothing at all.

Language: Japanese

Literally: vacant gazing

Category: Everyday

Origin: Japanese ぼーっと; the Japanese give this restful blankness its own word.

More untranslatable words — Everyday

Pålegg — Anything you might put on a slice of bread — cheese, ham, jam, egg, whatever — gathered u…
Pana poʻo — Scratching your head to help yourself remember something you've forgotten.
Tsundoku — Buying books and letting them pile up unread — a habit, not a crime.
Sobremesa — The unhurried conversation that lingers long after a meal, when no one wants to leave the…
Meraki — Pouring your soul, love, and creativity into whatever you do — cooking, art, anything.
Flâner — To wander a city slowly and aimlessly, savouring it with no destination in mind — the art…

Komorebi — The dappled light that filters through leaves and scatters across the ground.
Wabi-sabi — Finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the worn or incomplete.
Mono no aware — A bittersweet awareness of impermanence — the gentle sadness and appreciation that arise…
Ikigai — The thing that makes you want to get out of bed — the intersection of what you love, what…
Ma — The meaningful negative space between things — a deliberate pause in music, an empty room…
Natsukashii — A warm, nostalgic rush triggered by something from the past — a smell, a song, a sight. N…

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