From around the world
10 beautiful words about love that touch the heart
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Have you ever felt something for someone that you couldn’t put into words? Maybe there is a suitable expression in other languages. We introduce you to 10 terms about love that will definitely touch you.
Taking a look at some foreign languages, researching universal principles of language and comparing different languages with one another can provide us with many valuable insights – about cultures, the world and above all about us humans. We can see in it, for example, how we interpret, communicate, think and feel. Anyone who deals with languages will understand that there are different ways of forming categories and understanding relationships. But just as this person will recognize what is apparently so essential and fundamental that it is represented in all languages. For example, the distinction between me, you and her. Or certain topics – like love.
Love is something deeply human and connects us regardless of our origins, history and worldview. Most cultures therefore have a concept that is at least similar to what we associate with the word “love”. In connection with this concept, however, in the numerous languages of our world there are a lot of different terms for sensations and feelings for which we have no word in German – although there are of course also German expressions in the meaning field of love that are difficult or impossible to find translate with paraphrases into other languages.
In his wonderful book “Panda is called Bambusbjörn in Icelandic. The most beautiful words in the world” (YES), the psychologist David Tripolina presents terms from a wide variety of languages on various topics. In our text gallery we have put together the most beautiful from the area of love.
Beautiful words about love that go to the heart
1 of 10
Virahi (Hindi)
Have you ever had the experience that you didn’t really appreciate someone or something until they were gone? “Virahi” basically means exactly that: an intense love or longing that we only feel when we are apart.
2 of 10
Dor (Romanian)
Imagine that you are separated from someone you love from the bottom of your heart. Romanians call this painful, hard-to-bear feeling of longing and missing “dor”.
3 of 10
Jeong (Korean)
Warmth, mutual understanding, generosity and forbearance, friendly gestures and a deep, emotional connection – a love that is shaped by all of this is what Koreans call “jeong”.
4 of 10
Naz (Urdu)
How do you feel when you know that someone finds you attractive and desires you? Proud? Sexy? Confident? Pakistani people feel “naz” in this situation.
5 out of 10
Ya’aburnee (Arabic)
There is hardly a pain worse than grief for a loved one. The Arabic word “ya’aburnee” is inspired by this feeling. It describes the desire to die before the person we love, so that we never have to live without him. “May you bury me” is literally hidden behind the term.
6 of 10
Onsra (Serbian)
Sometimes we’re still in a relationship, but already feel that it won’t last long. In Serbian one speaks of “onsra”: the bittersweet feeling when “loving for the last time” that love will soon end.
7 of 10
Forelsket (Norwegian)
Do you know that when you are freshly in love that you could somehow hug the whole world? Everything feels so light and almost nothing can spoil your mood. In Norwegian this euphoria of lovers is called “Forelsket”.
8 of 10
Gemas (Indonesian)
Speaking of hugging the whole world: The Indonesian term “gemas” describes an affection that we feel so strongly and intensely that we want to hug something cute (e.g. a dachshund puppy) so tightly that we crush it. What a single word cannot say everything …!
9 of 10
Odnoliub (Russian)
According to some experts, when it comes to love, we need two tries before we are ready for the great love. An “odnoliub” seems to refute this rule: The Russian term describes a person who has only one love in their life.
10 of 10
Retrouvailles (English)
Have you ever not seen a loved one for months or even years (and therefore felt “dor”)? This feeling of happiness that fills you when you finally meet the person again is called “retrouvailles” in English – probably derived from French.
In addition to the international words that we have listed in the gallery, David Tripolina has also included a few German love terms in his book, for example “Streicheleinheit” and “Techtelmechtel”. In addition, the words “Schäferstündchen”, “Sehnsucht” and “Zweisamkeit” made it into his collection.
Source used: David Tripolina, “Panda is called Bambusbjörn in Icelandic. The most beautiful words in the world” (YES)