Untranslatable wordEmotionJapanese

Yugen

Meaning: A profound, mysterious sense of the universe that is too deep for words — the feeling of watching mist settle over mountains.

Literally: Dim / profound

Origin: Japanese 幽玄; a key concept in Noh theatre and Zen aesthetics.

More untranslatable words — Emotion

  • Koi no yokan The intuitive feeling upon first meeting someone that you will inevitably fall in love wi…
  • Weltschmerz The weariness and sadness you feel when the world as it is falls painfully short of the w…
  • Torschlusspanik The anxious fear that time is running out — that the gates of opportunity, youth, or life…
  • Han A deep collective feeling of sorrow, resentment, and longing born from historical injusti…
  • Forelsket The overwhelming, almost dizzy euphoria of falling in love — that specific state of early…
  • Resfeber The mix of nervous excitement and anticipatory anxiety you feel before a journey — your h…

More Japanese untranslatable words

  • Amae The comfortable feeling of depending on another's goodwill — leaning into someone's indul…
  • Shinrin-yoku Immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a forest — soaking up its calm through all your s…
  • Boketto Staring off into the distance with your mind pleasantly empty, thinking of nothing at all.
  • 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.
  • Tsundoku Buying books and letting them pile up unread — a habit, not a crime.

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