Wabi-sabi

Meaning: Finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the worn or incomplete.

Language: Japanese

Literally: subdued, austere beauty

Category: Nature

Origin: Japanese 侘寂; rooted in Zen aesthetics.

More untranslatable words — Nature

Mångata — The shimmering, road-like reflection the moon casts across water.
Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
Friluftsliv — The philosophy and practice of spending time outdoors — not as exercise or sport, but as…
Uitwaaien — Going for a walk or bike ride in the wind specifically to clear your head — letting the b…
Shinrin-yoku — Immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a forest — soaking up its calm through all your s…
Waldeinsamkeit — The serene, faintly mystical feeling of being alone in the woods, at peace with nature.

Tsundoku — Buying books and letting them pile up unread — a habit, not a crime.
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…
Yugen — A profound, mysterious sense of the universe that is too deep for words — the feeling of…

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