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Hygge

Meaning: The warm contentment of simple, cozy pleasures shared with people you love — candles, blankets, good company.

Language: Danish

Literally: coziness & comfort

Category: Emotion

Origin: Danish (pronounced 'hoo-ga'); borrowed from Norwegian.

More untranslatable words — Emotion

  • Schadenfreude — The guilty little pleasure of taking satisfaction in someone else's misfortune.
  • Fernweh — An aching longing for far-off places you've never been — the opposite of homesickness.
  • Gigil — The overwhelming urge to squeeze or pinch something unbearably cute.
  • Iktsuarpok — The restless anticipation that makes you keep stepping outside to see if someone is final…
  • Toska — A dull ache of the soul; a great longing with nothing in particular to long for.
  • Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…

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