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.