DIRECTORY OF BEAUTIFUL WORDS
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INDEX OF COLLECTION BY THEMECOMPLETE COLLECTION OF WORDS​​INDEX OF WORDS BY LANGUAGE
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TRANSLATING THE UNTRANSLATABLE
Words of Humanity

We can’t define people. People are unique, different and should not be boxed up and labeled with any biased generalizations. We can however, define personal characteristics that we can see and feel from their actions and behaviors. As long as we don’t judge them. These words offer universally relatable characteristics that we can say “yeah, that is totally my mother.”
WORD DESCRIBING THE THEME OF THIS LIST
KORINTHENKACKER
literally means a raisin-pooper. A German insult to describe an obsessive & petty anal-retentive nitpicker who can’t crap anything bigger than a raisin.(German)

WORDS TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE


​BAKKU-SHAN - A beautiful girl— as long as she’s being looked at from behind. (Japanese )

BRICOLEUR — a handyman who uses whatever materials he can get his hands on to create a construction (or bricolage). He starts building something with no clear plan, adding bits here and there, cobbling together a whole while flying by the seat of his pants. Refer to bric-à-brac - the miscellaneous objects and ornaments of little value. The closest equivalent in English would be something like a DIY-er. (French)

DAPJEONGNEO - the situation when someone has asked you a question and they think they know exactly what you are going to say – and they are now waiting for you to say precisely what they expect you to say. But you might not. Only a society of exquisitely nuanced manners would have had the sensitivity to coin such a term. (Korean)

EXTRAWUNSCH - used to denote someone who is slowing things down by being fussy. It means an additional request which turns a simple delivery/operation/undertaking into a complicated one, often with only a marginal benefit and a sense of it being an unnecessary complication. (German)

FACHIDIOT – literally means ‘subject-idiot’. A fachidiot is a person with expert knowledge in their own field and are well-accomplished but are clueless when it comes to anything outside that area. (German)

FEESTVARKEN - literally “party pig”; someone in whose honor a party is thrown. (Dutch)

FILOTIMO - almost impossible to translate but can be summed up as ‘love of honor’. It describes a person who understands the responsibility to themselves, as a human, being to always do the right thing and with honor. Even if their wealth, safety, freedom, or even life is at peril. No matter what, this person will do the honorable thing, regardless of the consequence. (Greek)

FRIOLERO – having a special sensitivity to cold. Being friolero doesn’t imply criticism. It’s like being left-handed or lactose intolerant: just a fact about you. The word is affectionate, some of one’s favourite people might be especially friolero – and therefore in special need of blankets and hugs. (Spanish)

FREMDSCHÄMEN - the almost-horror you feel when you notice that somebody is oblivious to how embarrassing they truly are. (German)

GATTARA is an old and lonely woman who likes stray cats. (Italian)

GILCHI - what you call someone who has a terrible sense of direction and who constantly gets lost. (Korean)

GLAS WEN – the literal translation is ‘blue smile’, and is used to describe a mocking sarcastic smile. (Welsh)

GOSOHADA – the feeling you get when someone finally gets what they deserves. When you think to yourself ‘HA serves you right!’ (Korean)

HANDSCHUHSCHNEEBALLWERFER – A coward willing to criticize and abuse from a safe distance. (German)

HÁZISÁRKÁNY – a nickname for your spouse or better half who is constantly nagging. It literally means an ‘Domestic Dragon’ (Hungarian)

HONIGKUCHENPFERD - Taken literally, this word means “horse-shaped honey cake.” But it’s a turn of phrase, somewhat equivalent to the English idiom “grinning like a Cheshire cat.” It’s talking about a big grin the wearer just can’t wipe off of their face. (German)

ILUNGA – A person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time. (Tshiluba (Congo))

INSORTABLE - how you would describe a person you can’t bring with you to a public function because they are embarrassing you. (French)

JIJIVISHA - refers to the strong, eternal desire to live and to continue living. It is usually used to talk about a person who loves life and always has intense emotions and desires to live and thrive. (Hindi)

JOBBIG – means troublesome or trying, annoying or difficult. It can be used to refer to people, things, events – almost anything that is difficult, annoying, or tedious. (Swedish)

JOLIE LAIDE - a word that translates into English as “pretty ugly” doesn’t quite convey its actual meaning very well. The term refers to someone who has a unique or unconventional beauty. It’s the feeling you get looking at someone, knowing they don’t reflect the general cultural notion of attraction, but not being able to still find them attractive. (French)

JUILLETISTES/AOÛTIENS - people who vacation in July and August, respectively. The French are so obsessed with their month-long summer vacations they even have a name for people based around what month you flee for the South of France! Those who travel in juillet (July) are juilletistes, and those who travel in août (August) are aoûtiens. (French)

KAEK - someone spirited, bold, cheeky, cocky. (Danish)

KAELLING - You know that woman who stands on her doorstep (or in line at the supermarket, or at the park, or in a restaurant) cursing at her children? The Danes know her, too. (Danish)

KORINTHENKACKER - Literally raisin-pooper. A German insult to describe an obsessive & petty anal retentive nitpicker who can’t crap anything bigger than a raisin.(German)

KYOIKUMAMA - a mother who pushes her kids into academic achievements (Japanese)

LINSLUS - someone who wants to be on camera all the time. (Swedish)

LOSKOP – Used to describe someone who is forgetful, absent-minded and a bit air-headed. It’s literally means, ‘loose (los) head (kop)’. (Afrikaans)

LUFTMENSCH – literally translated to ‘air person’, and refers to someone who is a bit of a dreamer. (Yiddish)

MANDILON - a male who is super dedicated to his girlfriend, as compared to his friends (Spanish)

MANJA – a person who shows so much outward love and affection towards someone they care about, like a spouse, partner, or child, to the point where they are pampering or spoiling them. (Malay)

MENEFREGHISTA - literally means “someone that doesn’t care.” The original expression comes from a sentence issued by a famous poet during WWI. His Me ne frego (“I don’t care”) was referred to courage, and to not care about dying in battle. The expression continued to be popularly used among Italians, but the meaning of menefreghista (“someone that doesn’t care”) shifted to describe somebody who couldn’t care less, usually about the community, social or political themes, or anything that others consider important. (Italian)

MYÖTÄHÄPEÄ - a shared sense of shame. It can refer to someone who knows they screwed up or is yet to understand they did. (Finnish)

MUZHIK - historically, muzhik was simply a way of referring to a male, Russian peasant. Nowadays, if you call someone a muzhik you are expressing your admiration for strength, hardiness, independence, financial success, or bravery. (Russian)

NEKAMA – man who pretends to be a woman on the internet. (Japanese)

NITO-ONNA - a woman so dedicated to her career that she has no time to iron blouses, so dresses only in knitted tops. (Japanese)

ODNOLIUB – someone who only has one love in their life or is only capable of a single person at a time. (Russian)

PACKESEL - A packesel is the person who’s stuck carrying everyone else’s bags on a trip. (German)

PILKUNNUSSIJA - A person whose only purpose in life is to make sure you understand how bad your grammar skills are. That is pilkunnussija, literally translated as “comma fucker”. (Finnish)

POCHEMUCHKA – refers to someone who asks too many questions. (Russian)

SAMORODOK - essentially a ‘diamond in the rough’. It describes a person endowed with natural talent and potential that has not been able to refine their skills in the framework of formal education or training. Unlike the English expression, samorodok emphasises the coarseness of the individual in his current state. In its literal sense, it means ‘golden nugget’. (Russian)

SANGFROID - literally means “cold blood”, but it not in the “first degree murder” sense. It’s a sense of coolness and calm even in the face of a very heated or emotional situation. Someone with sangfroid is good in a crisis. (French)

SCHLEMIEL / SCHLIMAZEL -Someone prone to bad luck. The schlemiel is the traditional maladroit, who spills his coffee; the schlimazel is the one on whom it's spilled. (Yiddish)

SITZFLEISCH – Those who possess a lot of seat meat are able to sit through and weather something incredibly hard or boring. (German)

TOSIKKO - A person who takes life a bit too seriously and is often considered to completely lack a sense of humor. (Finnish)

WEICHEI – Literally soft egg; someone who is weak and cowardly. (German)

WON – The reluctance on a person’s part to let go of an illusion. (Korean)
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