Akihi | Hawaiian

Receiving instructions and immediately forgetting everything once you try to apply them

Kummerspeck | German

Literally "grief bacon," the weight one gains through emotional stress-eating

Baisure | French

The spot where two loaves of bread have touched while baking in the oven

Kyoiku mama (教育ママ) | Japanese

A woman obsessed with her children's educational achievements

Boketto (ボケット) | Japanese

Absently idling without doing or thinking about anything in particular

L'appel du vide | French

Literally "the call of the void," an inexplicable instinctive urge to jump from a high place

Bulemielernen | German

Literally "bulimic studying," the process of cramming for a test and instantly forgetting everything the next day

Lebenslüge | German

Literally "life lie," self-deception to avoid conflicts with a core part of one's identity

Cafuné | Brazilian Portuguese

The act of gently running your fingers through a loved one's hair

Mamihlapinatapei | Yaghan

The silent look exchanged between two people who both wish the other would initiate something but are both hesitant to initiate anything themselves

Culaccino | Italian

The small amount of substance remaining at the bottom of a cup or glass once fully drunk; also the mark a wet glass leaves behind on a surface

Mangata | Swedish

The reflection the moon makes in a body of water

Dépaysement | French

A feeling of discomfort resulting from being outside of your native country

Maskrosbarn | Swedish

Literally "dandelion child," someone who lives through a difficult childhood but turns out all right in the end, like a dandelion breaking through tough pavement

Deppenleerzeichen | German

Literally "idiot's white space," the resulting space when mistakenly writing a compound word as two words

Mikkabouzu (三日坊主) | Japanese

Literally "three-day monk," someone who gives up at the slightest difficulty or fails to stick to anything

Duende | Spanish

The strong but unexplainable power of a piece of art to deeply move a person emotionally

Pochemuchka (почемучка) | Russian

Someone who incessantly asks questions

Elefantenrennen | German

Literally "elephant race," a situation in which one slow driver tries to pass another slightly slower driver, thereby obstructing the traffic behind them

Prozvonit | Czech

To make a phone call and then hang up before it's answered

Estağfurullah | Turkish

A word used to courteously reject a compliment while still expressing gratitude for it

Sankocha (ಸಂಕೋಚ) | Kannada

The feeling of discomfort after having received an inappropriately extravagant gift and feeling obliged to return the favor, even though it's out of your means

Friolenta | Spanish

A woman who is extremely sensitive to the cold

Schadenfreude | German

The sadistic pleasure one derives from others' misfortune

Fußhupe | German

Literally "foot horn," a dog so tiny it may accidentally be stepped on (at which point it produces a "honking" sound)

Sharmā jī kā betā (शर्मा जी का बेटा) | Hindi

Literally "Mr. Sharma's son," the "perfect" child of your parents' friend whom they compare you to when they're upset with you

Gluggaveõur | Icelandic

Literally "window weather," weather that looks nice but in actuality is not

-shimau | Japanese

An auxiliary verb used to convey a lack of intention and often a connotation of regret (e.g., tabeteshimatta (食べてしまった), "I didn't mean to eat it, but I did anyway")

Grengjai (เกร็งใจ) | Thai

To feel obliged to do something for somebody to avoid them feeling bad

Skämskudde | Swedish

Literally "cringe pillow," a pillow (real or imaginary) used to cover one's face when watching something cringy

Grima | Spanish

Discomfort from such stimuli as the scratching of nails on a blackboard, the thought of a needle piercing your eye, the sound of someone cracking their knuckles, etc.

Shlimazel | Yiddish

Someone who's always unlucky

Gyaku-gire (逆ギレ) | Japanese

Being angry at someone for justifiably being angry at you

Tingo | Pascuense

To continuously borrow objects from a friend until one has taken all his or her belongings

Hiraeth | Welsh

A feeling of melancholy and a sense of longing for a place that never existed

Torschlusspanik | German

Literally "gate-closing panic," the fear of running out of time to act on an opportunity or life goal

Hyggelig | Danish

An adjective describing a warm, cozy, friendly atmosphere--e.g., hot mulled mead with close friends in front of a cozy fireplace

Tsundoku (積ん読) | Japanese

The act of stockpiling books without reading them

Iktsuarpok | Inuit

The anticipation one experiences when waiting for a visitor, resulting in frequent trips outside to check for them

Verschlimmbessern | German

To try to improve something but just end up making it worse

Ilunga | Tshiluba

A person willing to forgive abuse upon the first offense and tolerate it upon the second instance, but drawing the line the third time it happens

Vorführeffekt | German

The phenomenon of failing at doing something you can normally do as soon as you try to show it to someone

Jayus | Indonesian

A joke so unfunny and poorly delivered that it paradoxically evokes laughter

Wabi-Sabi (侘び寂び) | Japanese

A lifestyle wherein one endeavors to discover the beauty in imperfections

Jubjoter | French

To awaken from a dream before it ends and attempt to fall back asleep to find out the ending

Waldeinsamkeit | German

The feeling of solitude that comes with being alone in the forest

Kalpa (कल्प) | Sanskrit

The grand-scale passage of time in a cosmological sense

Yahourt | French

A foreign song you try to sing along to by mimicking the sounds without understanding the language

Kissanristiäiset | Finnish

Literally "cat's christening," a trivial or unimportant celebration or social gathering

Załatwić | Polish

To use connections, charm, or bribes to get something you want