You’ve heard about hygge: a Danish term roughly translating as cosy togetherness. It is a concept we’ve invested time in over recent colder months. As an international set at Papaya HQ, we’ve found a few more untranslatable foreign phrases, words and ideas from around the world that are more than worth adopting.
Chinese: Ru Mu Chun Feng
Literally standing in a warm spring wind that feels like a shower. That comforting feeling after winter of feeling the warmth of spring, and the promise it holds.
Japanese: Wabi-sabi
A concept of accepting all things transient and imperfect, then finding beauty in these impermanent things in life.
Yiddish: Luftmensch
Literally ‘air person’, this is a way to describe a constant dreamer, staring off to the distant, head in the clouds. We all know someone like this.
Swedish: Gökotta
Waking up early to go outside and hear the first morning bird song. The lifestyle in Australia (for Sydneysiders at least), often lends itself to being up and out early. But this is just so endearing. We also love Fika
South African/Zulu: Ubuntu
This is a sense of humanity, a bond that unites everyone as they share everything, often said to be “I am, because we are”.
German: Fernweh
When you’ve never visited a place, yet you feel homesick for it.
Spanish: Vacilando
That saying that it’s not the journey, it’s the destination. This sums up that idea of the wandering or travelling is in fact better.
French: Retrouvailles
That feeling of happiness when you’ve been away for ages, and then see loved ones again.
