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No language is perfect, and English is no exception (although, IMO, it is the best "on the market"). There are always words or expressions that cannot be rendered from one language to another. English supposedly has the largest vocabulary of any languages in the world (7x more words than French !), and well educated people typically know less than 10% of them.
There would be too many English words and nuances that do not exist in other languages (thousands in French and Japanese), but much less the other way round.
This thread gives everyone the opportunity to list all the words in their language, or another language they know well for which no adequate English translation exist. Maybe Japanese words should be the object of a separate thread...
Here are a few French words.
Words with no specific English translation keeping the same nuance or connotation
- bouffer : to eat, but normally used for animals or in a very informal (and rather impolite) way for humans. This word exists in German ("fressen") and in Japanese (食う "kuu").
- patte : foot or leg of an animal (not claw). Used very informally or impolitely for humans.
- gueule : mouth of an animal. It can also be used very informally or impolitely for humans, in which case the American words "gob" or "yap" could be used. It can also mean "face" with the same animal connotation. In that case the word "mug" exist in English.
- arête : "fishbone" (no unique word for that in English)
- tartine : "slice of bread" (no single word for that in English).
- tartiner : to spread butter, jam, honey, cheese, etc. on a slice of bread
- tartinière/planche à tartiner : board to spread butter/jam on one's slice of bread.
- fromage à tartiner : soft cheese to spread on a slice of bread.
- cassonade : a kind of brown sugar that comes in light brown ("blond") and dark brown ("brown") version.
- superficie : translates as "acreage" (but not just in acres), "(land) area" (of a building, room or field). No unique term for that in English.
- chaîne (hi-fi/stereo) : a hi-fi system, but not necessarily "hi-fi". A set, which typically includes an amplifier, a radio, CD, MD, and formerly also tapes and disk player. The componants aren't important as long as there is an amplifier, loudspeakers, with something else and it is a set.
- jante : "rim of a (car) wheel".
- dejanter : verb meaning that the tyre is getting out of the rim of the wheel (used mostly in car racing).
- caricature : in the meaning of "satirical cartoon". A regular cartoon (or animation) is a dessin animé in French.
- souriant : smiling/smiley, but not used in English in a sentence like "the staff should be more smiling" (le personnel devrait être plus souriant).
- écœurant : the nearest translation is nauseating, but it is not necessarily used for food that makes one want to vomit. It is more common for food that is too sweet or too rich (e.g. in butter). Eating too much cake or chocolate can be écœurant.
Several words in French with only one common translation in English (lost nuance) :
- cheveux, poil, pelage : all translates as "hair". cheveux is only used for the hair on a human head. Body hair are called poils. Most mammals have a pelage, but individuals hairs are also called poil(s).
- bille, boule, balle, ballon, bal : there are only two words for this in English, "ball" and "balloon". In French, a ballon is a "balloon" or a "ball" with air inside. A balle is a ball with air inside, usually used for sports/games like ping-pong, tennis, football, volleyball, etc. A boule is not hollow, like the ball of bowling, billiard/snooker, or even a snowball, hairball, fireball, etc. A bille is like a boule, but smaller, like marbles, mercury balls, or balls used in ball-bearing mechanisms. Bal is the word for a "dancing ball" (party).
- fenêtre, carreau, vitre, vitrine, vitrail : there are only two words in English for this, "window" and "pane". A fenêtre is a window with the frame and glass. A carreau is just one pane, especially when the window is divided in many panes like in a "stained glass window" (vitrail, in French). A vitre is a pane, usually when there is only one for the whole window. A vitrine is a large window pane, usually in shops to display the products.
- mur, muraille, cloison, paroi : all translate as "wall". The difference is that a mur is made of masonry (brick, stone or concrete blocks), while a cloison is hollow and just made of panels and plaster. A paroi is also an "inner wall" usually made of wooden panels, but the word is also used for the outer walls of a wooden fortification (e.g. Roman fort). A muraille is a defensive wall, normally made of masonry, like medieval city walls or even the Great Wall of China.
- tuile, carrelage : both translate as "tile". Tuile means "roofing tile", while carrelage refers to flooring tiles.
- bricolage : do-it-yourself
- bricoler : verb meaning to "fiddle", "putter" or "tinker", used for do-it-yourself home repair, amateur carpentery, plumbing, electricity, mounting furniture bought in detached pieces, etc.
- bricoleur : person doing bricolage ("handyman").
- batterie, pile (バッテリ vs 電池 in Japanese) : both translate as "battery" in English. The first one is typically rechargeable (e.g. for mobile phones, camcorders, car engines...), while the 2nd one is usually discardable, low voltage (1.5 to 9 volts) and not product specific (can be used for all can of electronic appliances).
- station, gare : both translate as "station" in English. The former is used only for metro/subway/underground, while the latter is for trains or buses.
- boucherie, charcuterie : both translate as butcher's shop, although the former specialises in meat, and the latter in cooked meats (sausages, pâté, etc.)
- gel, gelée, givre : all mean "frost". Gelée and gel are used in meteorology (tempetures below freezing), while givre is the forst formation on (car) windows or ice crystals.
- glace, glaçon, glaciaire, glacé, glacier, glacial, verglas : all translate as "ice", either as noun or adjective. Glace is the most general term. A glaçon is an ice cube (e.g. for drinks). Verglas is ice on roads after a wet night in freezing temperature. A glacier is either a "glacier" (in geology) or an "ice-cream maker" (the person or company). Glaciaire is the noun for a "machine to make ice-cream" or the adjective referring to the "ice age" (période glaciaire), "ice cap" (calotte galciaire). Glacial can be used like the English word "glacial", or to mean "icily" or "freezing cold". Glacé means "frozen" or "ice" like in "ice-cream" (crème glacée).
- coupe, tasse : Coupe means "cup" but only in the meaning of trophy (e.g. Coupe du Monde => World Cup). A cup to drink is a tasse in French (the English word "mug" has also become common recently for mugs, which used to be called "tasse" as well).
- gourmand, gourmandise : "gourmand" in English as well. However, there is no noun for gourmandise ("greed" is avidité in French).
- doux, mou : both translate as "soft" in English, although their meaning is very different. Doux is the opposite of "rough" or "coarse" (rugueux), while mou is the opposite of "hard". Doux can also mean sweet, but almost only for wines (otherwise sucré is used).
- lavette, torchon, chiffon, serpillière, vêtement(s) : all translate as "cloth" in English. The first two mean "dishcloth" (torchon can also mean floorcloth), the third is a rag (old cloth) or cloth for cleaning (housecloth), the fourth is a floorcloth, and the last are clothes to wear.
- travail, travaux, oeuvre, ouvrage : all translate as "work"; "travail" is the general sense (working), "travaux" is usually used for "construction works", "oeuvre" means 'work of art', and "ouvrage" usually means "work" in the sense of dutiful, hard or bothersome work.
- travailleur, ouvrier : "worker", the former in the general sense (someone who works), the latter in the sense of 'manual worker' (in a factory, in construction, etc.)
- docteur, médecin : the former means "doctor" in the general sense (PhD), while the latter only means "medical doctor".
- hibou, chouette : both are "owls" in English, but it isn't the same bird. [hiboux[/i] have external ears, while chouettes don't.
Words with many specific translations in English but no general term with all the meanings
- abonnement : means "subscription", "season ticket", "weekly/monthly/yearly ticket/subscription", etc. Very useful as it can be used for anything : magazines/newspaper/satellite TV subscriptions, public transport tickets, yearly cinema/theatre ticket/card, fitness subscriptions, (mobile) phone monthly fee, mailing list subscriptions, etc. People just say the have an "abonnement" without having to specify the length or type. It doesn't matter whether it's a ticket, a card, a pass, or none of these - that works.
- devis : "estimate", "quotation", "tender" for a particular work (especially in construction and maintenance). There is no unique word with only that meaning in English.
- chantier : construction site, workings, yard...
- sportif : a person that does sport. The words "athlete" or "players" have similar meanings but can only be used for specific sports (e.g. you can't say a ski player, or a tennis athlete). There is no word in English that can be used to describe a person practising any sport or physical activity, from a runner to the climber, F1 driver, football player, swimmer, etc. So you can't ask in English "Are you a sportif", as this word doesn't exist. You can say "Do you do sports ?", but it doesn't mean the same. A sportif is someone who does a lot of sports or likes practising sports, not just anyone that does it. There is the word "sportsman", which is the nearest equivalent, but is not much used, and is not gender neutral.
- stage, stagiaire : these words mean respectiely "internship" and "intern" (in US English), but also "training course", "vocational training (course)", "work placement", "work experience scheme", etc., and the person who does it (the stagiaire).
- accueil : means "welcome", "reception", "home page" (of a website), "act of welcoming", or even "quality of welcome" (from a hotel, restaurant, club or company staff).
- pique : "something with a pointed end", "something that *****s, pri.ckles or stings", "spades" (in playing cards), "barb"...
- manquer : to lack, to miss, to default, to be short of, not be enough, to be insufficient, to run out of... No general term for all those meanings combined in English.
Unique words in French with compound translations in English
- piscine : swimming pool
- patinoire : ice skating ring
- vestiaire : locker room
- aspirateur : vaccum cleaner
- aspirer : "to use a vaccum cleaner" ("to suck dust")
- patisserie : pastry shop
- friterie : "chip shop" in BrE, but no particular word in AmE (not really the same as "hamburger stand")
- cuisinière : cooking range
- friteuse : deep fryer
- levure : baking powder
- purée : mashed potatoes
- hotte : "exhaust hood" (for the kitchen). No unique word for that in English.
- chaudière : "gas boiler" or "oil furnace"
- télédistribution : "television broadcasting by cable"
- électroménager : home electric appliances (家電 in Japanese), i.e. everything from audio-video to kitchen electric appliances to computers and mobile phones.
- taie (d'oreiller) : pillow case
- sommier : (slatted/spring) mattress/bed base
- moquette : wall-to-wall carpet
- bottin : phone book
- minuscule/majuscule : small font/capital letter
- saouler : to get drunk
- saoulant : making one get drunk (or "tiring" in slang)
- frime, frimer, frimeur : show-off (noun, verb, person noun)
- borgne : one-eyed (person)
- loupe : magnifying glass
- cachalot : sperm whale
- chevreuil : roe deer
- détour : roundabout way
- dorénavant : from now on, from then on, from this point forward (there is actually a one-word translation in English, but hardly ever used nowdays : "henceforth" or "henceforward")
- brelan : three of a kind (in poker)
- carré : four of a kind (in poker)
- mélomane : music lover
Rarer words with no single-word English translation :
- grimoire : "book of magic spells", but also used to described any obscure writing.
- armoiries, blason, emblème, écu : The armoiries refer to the full "coat of arms" of a person or family, while the blason or écu is only the central part of the arms (in the shape of a shield) without the motto and decoration around.
- malencontreux : advjective including the meaning of "ill-timed", "untimely", "inopportune" and "unfortunate".
- loisible : adjective meaning "to have the liberty to do something". Includes the meaning of permission and doing it at one's leisure or discretion.
No language is perfect, and English is no exception (although, IMO, it is the best "on the market"). There are always words or expressions that cannot be rendered from one language to another. English supposedly has the largest vocabulary of any languages in the world (7x more words than French !), and well educated people typically know less than 10% of them.
There would be too many English words and nuances that do not exist in other languages (thousands in French and Japanese), but much less the other way round.
This thread gives everyone the opportunity to list all the words in their language, or another language they know well for which no adequate English translation exist. Maybe Japanese words should be the object of a separate thread...
Here are a few French words.
Words with no specific English translation keeping the same nuance or connotation
- bouffer : to eat, but normally used for animals or in a very informal (and rather impolite) way for humans. This word exists in German ("fressen") and in Japanese (食う "kuu").
- patte : foot or leg of an animal (not claw). Used very informally or impolitely for humans.
- gueule : mouth of an animal. It can also be used very informally or impolitely for humans, in which case the American words "gob" or "yap" could be used. It can also mean "face" with the same animal connotation. In that case the word "mug" exist in English.
- arête : "fishbone" (no unique word for that in English)
- tartine : "slice of bread" (no single word for that in English).
- tartiner : to spread butter, jam, honey, cheese, etc. on a slice of bread
- tartinière/planche à tartiner : board to spread butter/jam on one's slice of bread.
- fromage à tartiner : soft cheese to spread on a slice of bread.
- cassonade : a kind of brown sugar that comes in light brown ("blond") and dark brown ("brown") version.
- superficie : translates as "acreage" (but not just in acres), "(land) area" (of a building, room or field). No unique term for that in English.
- chaîne (hi-fi/stereo) : a hi-fi system, but not necessarily "hi-fi". A set, which typically includes an amplifier, a radio, CD, MD, and formerly also tapes and disk player. The componants aren't important as long as there is an amplifier, loudspeakers, with something else and it is a set.
- jante : "rim of a (car) wheel".
- dejanter : verb meaning that the tyre is getting out of the rim of the wheel (used mostly in car racing).
- caricature : in the meaning of "satirical cartoon". A regular cartoon (or animation) is a dessin animé in French.
- souriant : smiling/smiley, but not used in English in a sentence like "the staff should be more smiling" (le personnel devrait être plus souriant).
- écœurant : the nearest translation is nauseating, but it is not necessarily used for food that makes one want to vomit. It is more common for food that is too sweet or too rich (e.g. in butter). Eating too much cake or chocolate can be écœurant.
Several words in French with only one common translation in English (lost nuance) :
- cheveux, poil, pelage : all translates as "hair". cheveux is only used for the hair on a human head. Body hair are called poils. Most mammals have a pelage, but individuals hairs are also called poil(s).
- bille, boule, balle, ballon, bal : there are only two words for this in English, "ball" and "balloon". In French, a ballon is a "balloon" or a "ball" with air inside. A balle is a ball with air inside, usually used for sports/games like ping-pong, tennis, football, volleyball, etc. A boule is not hollow, like the ball of bowling, billiard/snooker, or even a snowball, hairball, fireball, etc. A bille is like a boule, but smaller, like marbles, mercury balls, or balls used in ball-bearing mechanisms. Bal is the word for a "dancing ball" (party).
- fenêtre, carreau, vitre, vitrine, vitrail : there are only two words in English for this, "window" and "pane". A fenêtre is a window with the frame and glass. A carreau is just one pane, especially when the window is divided in many panes like in a "stained glass window" (vitrail, in French). A vitre is a pane, usually when there is only one for the whole window. A vitrine is a large window pane, usually in shops to display the products.
- mur, muraille, cloison, paroi : all translate as "wall". The difference is that a mur is made of masonry (brick, stone or concrete blocks), while a cloison is hollow and just made of panels and plaster. A paroi is also an "inner wall" usually made of wooden panels, but the word is also used for the outer walls of a wooden fortification (e.g. Roman fort). A muraille is a defensive wall, normally made of masonry, like medieval city walls or even the Great Wall of China.
- tuile, carrelage : both translate as "tile". Tuile means "roofing tile", while carrelage refers to flooring tiles.
- bricolage : do-it-yourself
- bricoler : verb meaning to "fiddle", "putter" or "tinker", used for do-it-yourself home repair, amateur carpentery, plumbing, electricity, mounting furniture bought in detached pieces, etc.
- bricoleur : person doing bricolage ("handyman").
- batterie, pile (バッテリ vs 電池 in Japanese) : both translate as "battery" in English. The first one is typically rechargeable (e.g. for mobile phones, camcorders, car engines...), while the 2nd one is usually discardable, low voltage (1.5 to 9 volts) and not product specific (can be used for all can of electronic appliances).
- station, gare : both translate as "station" in English. The former is used only for metro/subway/underground, while the latter is for trains or buses.
- boucherie, charcuterie : both translate as butcher's shop, although the former specialises in meat, and the latter in cooked meats (sausages, pâté, etc.)
- gel, gelée, givre : all mean "frost". Gelée and gel are used in meteorology (tempetures below freezing), while givre is the forst formation on (car) windows or ice crystals.
- glace, glaçon, glaciaire, glacé, glacier, glacial, verglas : all translate as "ice", either as noun or adjective. Glace is the most general term. A glaçon is an ice cube (e.g. for drinks). Verglas is ice on roads after a wet night in freezing temperature. A glacier is either a "glacier" (in geology) or an "ice-cream maker" (the person or company). Glaciaire is the noun for a "machine to make ice-cream" or the adjective referring to the "ice age" (période glaciaire), "ice cap" (calotte galciaire). Glacial can be used like the English word "glacial", or to mean "icily" or "freezing cold". Glacé means "frozen" or "ice" like in "ice-cream" (crème glacée).
- coupe, tasse : Coupe means "cup" but only in the meaning of trophy (e.g. Coupe du Monde => World Cup). A cup to drink is a tasse in French (the English word "mug" has also become common recently for mugs, which used to be called "tasse" as well).
- gourmand, gourmandise : "gourmand" in English as well. However, there is no noun for gourmandise ("greed" is avidité in French).
- doux, mou : both translate as "soft" in English, although their meaning is very different. Doux is the opposite of "rough" or "coarse" (rugueux), while mou is the opposite of "hard". Doux can also mean sweet, but almost only for wines (otherwise sucré is used).
- lavette, torchon, chiffon, serpillière, vêtement(s) : all translate as "cloth" in English. The first two mean "dishcloth" (torchon can also mean floorcloth), the third is a rag (old cloth) or cloth for cleaning (housecloth), the fourth is a floorcloth, and the last are clothes to wear.
- travail, travaux, oeuvre, ouvrage : all translate as "work"; "travail" is the general sense (working), "travaux" is usually used for "construction works", "oeuvre" means 'work of art', and "ouvrage" usually means "work" in the sense of dutiful, hard or bothersome work.
- travailleur, ouvrier : "worker", the former in the general sense (someone who works), the latter in the sense of 'manual worker' (in a factory, in construction, etc.)
- docteur, médecin : the former means "doctor" in the general sense (PhD), while the latter only means "medical doctor".
- hibou, chouette : both are "owls" in English, but it isn't the same bird. [hiboux[/i] have external ears, while chouettes don't.
Words with many specific translations in English but no general term with all the meanings
- abonnement : means "subscription", "season ticket", "weekly/monthly/yearly ticket/subscription", etc. Very useful as it can be used for anything : magazines/newspaper/satellite TV subscriptions, public transport tickets, yearly cinema/theatre ticket/card, fitness subscriptions, (mobile) phone monthly fee, mailing list subscriptions, etc. People just say the have an "abonnement" without having to specify the length or type. It doesn't matter whether it's a ticket, a card, a pass, or none of these - that works.
- devis : "estimate", "quotation", "tender" for a particular work (especially in construction and maintenance). There is no unique word with only that meaning in English.
- chantier : construction site, workings, yard...
- sportif : a person that does sport. The words "athlete" or "players" have similar meanings but can only be used for specific sports (e.g. you can't say a ski player, or a tennis athlete). There is no word in English that can be used to describe a person practising any sport or physical activity, from a runner to the climber, F1 driver, football player, swimmer, etc. So you can't ask in English "Are you a sportif", as this word doesn't exist. You can say "Do you do sports ?", but it doesn't mean the same. A sportif is someone who does a lot of sports or likes practising sports, not just anyone that does it. There is the word "sportsman", which is the nearest equivalent, but is not much used, and is not gender neutral.
- stage, stagiaire : these words mean respectiely "internship" and "intern" (in US English), but also "training course", "vocational training (course)", "work placement", "work experience scheme", etc., and the person who does it (the stagiaire).
- accueil : means "welcome", "reception", "home page" (of a website), "act of welcoming", or even "quality of welcome" (from a hotel, restaurant, club or company staff).
- pique : "something with a pointed end", "something that *****s, pri.ckles or stings", "spades" (in playing cards), "barb"...
- manquer : to lack, to miss, to default, to be short of, not be enough, to be insufficient, to run out of... No general term for all those meanings combined in English.
Unique words in French with compound translations in English
- piscine : swimming pool
- patinoire : ice skating ring
- vestiaire : locker room
- aspirateur : vaccum cleaner
- aspirer : "to use a vaccum cleaner" ("to suck dust")
- patisserie : pastry shop
- friterie : "chip shop" in BrE, but no particular word in AmE (not really the same as "hamburger stand")
- cuisinière : cooking range
- friteuse : deep fryer
- levure : baking powder
- purée : mashed potatoes
- hotte : "exhaust hood" (for the kitchen). No unique word for that in English.
- chaudière : "gas boiler" or "oil furnace"
- télédistribution : "television broadcasting by cable"
- électroménager : home electric appliances (家電 in Japanese), i.e. everything from audio-video to kitchen electric appliances to computers and mobile phones.
- taie (d'oreiller) : pillow case
- sommier : (slatted/spring) mattress/bed base
- moquette : wall-to-wall carpet
- bottin : phone book
- minuscule/majuscule : small font/capital letter
- saouler : to get drunk
- saoulant : making one get drunk (or "tiring" in slang)
- frime, frimer, frimeur : show-off (noun, verb, person noun)
- borgne : one-eyed (person)
- loupe : magnifying glass
- cachalot : sperm whale
- chevreuil : roe deer
- détour : roundabout way
- dorénavant : from now on, from then on, from this point forward (there is actually a one-word translation in English, but hardly ever used nowdays : "henceforth" or "henceforward")
- brelan : three of a kind (in poker)
- carré : four of a kind (in poker)
- mélomane : music lover
Rarer words with no single-word English translation :
- grimoire : "book of magic spells", but also used to described any obscure writing.
- armoiries, blason, emblème, écu : The armoiries refer to the full "coat of arms" of a person or family, while the blason or écu is only the central part of the arms (in the shape of a shield) without the motto and decoration around.
- malencontreux : advjective including the meaning of "ill-timed", "untimely", "inopportune" and "unfortunate".
- loisible : adjective meaning "to have the liberty to do something". Includes the meaning of permission and doing it at one's leisure or discretion.
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