Untranslatable wordEmotionPortuguese

Saudade

Meaning: A deep, nostalgic yearning for someone or something absent — tinged with the bittersweet sense it may never return.

Literally: Bittersweet longing

Origin: Portuguese; central to fado music and the Lusophone soul.

More untranslatable words — Emotion

  • Hygge The warm contentment of simple, cozy pleasures shared with people you love — candles, bla…
  • 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.

More Portuguese untranslatable words

  • Cafuné The tender act of running your fingers through someone's hair — an intimate gesture of lo…

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