Japanese Words We Need In English
Concepts in Japanese that are currently impossible to translate into English
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I’m actually kind of hesitant to write this because, as a linguist, I don’t want to spread the myth that there are any words in any language that are “untranslatable.” Usually, these articles fail to convey to their readers that English would take an entire sentence to explain what other languages can do in a word or phrase.
Sometimes, it’s simply because of how the language works. For example, German uses many more compound words than her sister language across the English Channel. Sure, English could borrow German’s Backpfeifengesicht. It’s literally slap in the face + n (a genitival interfix, like the n in Panamanian or the o in speedometer) + face. But we can already say someone has a slappable face in English, and our conversation partner will probably still conjure up an image of a tech billionaire in their mind all the same. (Leave a comment and let me know who you think has a Backpfeifengesicht!)
Other times, it is genuinely a word that can capture a feeling we can’t easily convey in English. Like in French with:
- Gourmandise — eating for pleasure; the love of good food
