Tsundoku

Meaning: Buying books and letting them pile up unread — a habit, not a crime.

Literally: Pile-up reading

Origin: Japanese 積ん読; a pun on 'piling up' and 'reading'.

More Japanese untranslatable words

Mono no aware A bittersweet awareness of impermanence — the gentle sadness and appreciation that arise…
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…
Yugen A profound, mysterious sense of the universe that is too deep for words — the feeling of…
Koi no yokan The intuitive feeling upon first meeting someone that you will inevitably fall in love wi…
Amae The comfortable feeling of depending on another's goodwill — leaning into someone's indul…

Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.

蛇足 (dassoku) Something completely unnecessary; a superfluous addition.
猫に小判 (Neko ni koban) Giving something valuable to someone who can't appreciate it.
杞憂 (Kiyū) Unnecessary worry about things that won't happen; baseless anxiety.

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