Destroyer of Senses

Ten Relationship Words That Aren't Translatable Into English

• Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start.
• Yuanfen (Mandarin Chinese): A relationship by fate or destiny. This is a complex concept. It draws on principles of predetermination in Chinese culture, which dictate relationships, encounters and affinities, mostly among lovers and friends.
• Cafuné (Brazilian Portuguese): The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone's hair.
• Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time.
• Ilunga (Bantu): A person who is willing to forgive abuse the first time; tolerate it the second time, but never a third time.
• La Douleur Exquise (French): The heart-wrenching pain of wanting someone you can’t have.
• Koi No Yokan (Japanese): The sense upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall into love.
• Ya’aburnee (Arabic): “You bury me.” It’s a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person, because of how difficult it would be to live without them.
• Forelsket: (Norwegian): The euphoria you experience when you’re first falling in love.
• Saudade (Portuguese): The feeling of longing for someone that you love and is lost. Another linguist describes it as a "vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist."