Untranslatable Words Card Set

This set of cards attempt to define some of the most specific words from various languages around the world. There are lots of moods, needs and feelings that our own language has not yet properly pinned down. The perfect word - even if it comes from abroad - helps us explain ourselves to other people, and its existence quietly reassures us (and everyone else) that a state of mind is not really rare, just rarely spoken of.

Designed to evoke the excitement of encountering an old photograph or an unusual object in a flea market, the cards feels familiar yet foreign. Some of the untranslatable words include: DUENDE (Spanish): A heightened sense of emotion created by a moving piece of art; FORELSKET (Norwegian): The euphoric feeling at the beginning of love; and YŪGEN (Japanese): a mood in which one feels that the universe as a whole possesses a mysterious and elusive beauty.

Turn to these cards to find a word that speaks most powerfully to your mood. Sort through and select a card to send to a friend as a memento of a particular feeling you associate with them. Words cannot express the many ways in which this game can be played.