10+ Hungarian words with no English equivalent

Every nation has culture- and language-specific words that do not have a direct translation in other languages, and many of these expressions are part of the daily vernacular. We collected some Hungarian words that do not have exact English equivalents and provided the translation of the overall meaning to bring Hungarian closer to you.

Let us know if you are familiar with the English equivalent of any of the following expressions or you can complement our list with other words.

1. aranyhíd (n.) [ɑrɑɲhiːd] “golden bridge”
meaning: the glistening reflection of the setting sun on the surface of the lake or ocean

2. báty/öcs, nővér/húg (n.) [bɑː/ətʃ, nɜːveːr/huːg]
meaning: older/younger brother, older/younger sister
in Hungarian, we have separate words for older and younger siblings depending on their gender

3. háryjános (n.) [hɑːrijɑːnɒʃ]
meaning: a person boasting with fictional or exaggerated deeds
a common noun derived from the name Háry János, a character in a Hungarian folk opera

4. házisárkány (n.) [hɑːziʃɑːrkɑːɲ] “domestic dragon”
meaning: an ill-tempered, nagging, and constantly dissatisfied housewife
the English word with the closest meaning is probably ‘shrew’

5. káröröm (n.) [kɑːrərəm] “schadenfreude”
meaning: malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune, usually accompanied by envy

6. nebáncsvirág (n.) [nɛbɑːntʃvirɑːg] “hurt-me-not flower”
meaning: a super-sensitive person, someone who is easily offended

7. világfájdalom (n. with German origin) [vilɑːgfɑːjdɑlɒm] “world pain”
meaning: a peculiar, pessimistic concept of the world, according to which we seek happiness in the world but can never find it; German ‘Weltschmerz’
“It signifies a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering.” (Beiser, Frederick C. (2016). Weltschmerz: Pessimism in German Philosophy, 1860-1900)

8. irgum-burgum (interjection) [irgʊm-bʊrgʊm]
meaning: it indicates feigned or playful anger, often addressed to children

9. tutyimutyi (n. and adj.) [tʊtjimʊtji]
meaning: a weak-willed, helpless, or wimpy person, someone with little physical strength

(8. and 9. are playful expressions similar to the English ‘itsy-bitsy’ or ‘lickety-split’)

10. madárlátta (adj.) [madɑːrlɑːtːɑ] “seen by birds”
meaning: originally, it referred to the food a shepherd or farmer brought home when he returned from the field; leftover food

11. kolbászol (slang v.) [kɒlbɑːsɒl] “to sausage around”
meaning: to loiter, walk, or wander aimlessly

12. piszmog (v.) [pismɒg]
meaning: to do something small, meticulous, or tedious that takes a long time but does not have a real purpose

13. szöszmötöl (v.) [səsmətəl]
meaning: to fidget with something, do something slowly and meticulously

the meaning of these expressions (10. and 11.) are quite similar, but in the case of ‘szöszmötöl’, someone is doing something unimportant usually without being aware that it does not have a purpose

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Featured image: bokik.hu

Source: Daily News Hungary