Words for love
20 words for love that English does not have
Every language has caught a feeling the others never named. Portuguese has a word for missing someone that still feels good. Norwegian has one for the giddy first week. Japanese has one for meeting someone and already knowing. Here are the best of them, with how to say each one.
Saudade
Portuguese · said sow-DAH-duhmissing someone in a way that still feels good
Yaad
Hindi and Urdu · said yaadwhen someone crosses your mind and the whole day goes softer
Forelsket
Norwegian · said for-EL-sketthe giddy, floating first week of falling for someone
Koi no yokan
Japanese · said koy no yo-KANmeeting someone and quietly knowing you will fall for them
Retrouvailles
French · said ruh-troo-VAIthe joy of the first minute of seeing someone again
Geborgenheit
German · said guh-BOR-gen-hitefeeling completely safe and looked after with someone
Iktsuarpok
Inuktitut · said ikt-soo-AR-pokkeeping going to the window because you cannot wait for them
Kilig
Tagalog · said KEE-ligthe butterflies, the ones that make you grin at nothing
Jeong
Korean · said jungthe deep tie that builds quietly between people over years
Sukoon
Urdu, Hindi and Persian · said su-KOONthe particular calm that one person brings you
Yuanfen
Chinese · said yoo-en-FENthe lucky chance that brought the two of you together
Hiraeth
Welsh · said HEER-eyethlonging for a person who feels like where you belong
Sobremesa
Spanish · said so-breh-MEH-sastaying at the table long after the food, just to keep talking
Ishq
Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Turkish · said ishklove that has stopped asking permission
Gezelligheid
Dutch · said huh-ZELL-ig-hitethe warmth of good company, nothing else required
Apnapan
Hindi · said up-na-PUNthe feeling that someone is your own
Meraki
Greek · said meh-RAH-keedoing something with your whole soul left in it
Cwtch
Welsh · said kutcha hug that doubles as a safe place
Mangata
Swedish · said MOHN-gah-tahthe shimmering road the moon lays across water
Raunaq
Urdu and Hindi · said ROW-nukthe liveliness a person brings into a room
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Create a bouquet 💐What is the most beautiful untranslatable word for love?
Saudade, from Portuguese, is the one most people land on. It means missing someone in a way that still feels good: the presence of someone who is absent, with the love left in rather than only the sadness. Whole genres of Portuguese and Brazilian music exist because of it.
Is there a word for missing someone you love?
Several, and they differ. Portuguese saudade is missing with warmth in it. Welsh hiraeth is longing for someone who feels like where you belong. Hindi and Urdu yaad is the thought of someone arriving on its own in the middle of your day. Inuktitut iktsuarpok is the restlessness of waiting for someone to arrive.
What is the German word for feeling safe with someone?
Geborgenheit. English speakers reach for "cosy" and mean something much smaller. Geborgenheit is warmth, safety and belonging at once: what home feels like when home is a person.
Can I send one of these words to someone?
Yes. On DigitalBouquet you can build a free digital bouquet and attach one of these words to it. The person you send it to sees the word, how to say it, and what it means, alongside your note.