What is your Ikigai? 10 foreign words that celebrate life's pleasures

In English, we often rely on the single, broad term "happiness" to describe everything from winning the lottery to eating a piece of pie. Yet, around the world, different cultures have come up with precise words to capture the different flavors of joy. From the quiet peace of dawn in Scandinavia to the musical ecstasy of the Middle East, here are 10 foreign words that describe unique types of happiness.

Pronounced hoo-ga, this Danish word has captured global attention over the past decade. Hygge is a psychological state of warm, cozy contentment.

It’s the feeling of sitting around a wooden dining table illuminated by soft candlelight, sharing a cup of coffee with close friends. Hygge encourages us to forget about life’s superficial distractions and savor the present moment with warmth, safety, and human connection.

Originating from Okinawa, an island known for its high concentration of centenarians, ikigai (pronounced ee-kee-guy) translates to "a reason for being". It represents the sweet spot where your passions, talents, values, and practical skills overlap.

Unlike grand notions of success, ikigai is often quiet and deeply personal. It’s the joy that motivates you to get up in the morning, whether that reason is tending to your garden, perfecting a craft, or caring for your family. It’s happiness not as a distant goal, but as a daily practice.

It’s no surprise that the Scandinavian culture has a specific word for outdoor bliss. Gökotta (pronounced yoh-koh-tah) literally translates to "cuckoo-dawn". It describes the deliberate act of waking up early in the morning, often at the break of dawn in spring, specifically to go outside into nature.

Gökotta reminds us that peace and renewal are often waiting for us in the quietest hours of the morning, as long as we are willing to wake up early enough to catch them.

Who said happiness can’t be a little mischievous? Schadenfreude (pronounced shah-den-froy-duh) combines the German words for "damage" (Schaden) and "joy" (Freude). It describes the secret, malicious pleasure a person feels when watching someone else suffer a minor, non-tragic mishap.

Whether it’s smirking when a politician stumbles on stage or watching an arrogant rival lose a game, schadenfreude captures a raw side of human psychology that almost everyone has experienced but rarely admits to.

On the opposite side of schadenfreude is the Hebrew concept of firgun (pronounced feer-goon). This informal term, which entered modern Hebrew in the mid-20th century, describes genuine, unselfish joy felt for another person’s accomplishments or good fortune.

To practice firgun means celebrating someone else’s promotion, engagement, or success without envy or resentment. It’s an empathetic form of happiness that strengthens community ties.

While many societies view labor as a tedious chore, the Nordic countries have a different view. The Danish word arbejdsglæde (pronounced ah-beyds-gleh-theh) combines arbejde (work) and glæde (joy).

This term describes the satisfaction derived from a job well done. It stems from the feeling of enjoying your colleagues and having a healthy work-life balance. Also, knowing that your daily efforts contribute meaning to the world.

In Arab musical tradition, tarab (pronounced tah-rab) refers to a transcendent state of emotional ecstasy induced by listening to moving music.

It describes the moment when a performer’s vocals or instrumental mastery captivates the audience, filling the room with an overwhelming wave of emotion. In other words, tarab highlights music as a vehicle for profound joy.

In the Yoruba language of West Africa, Ayodele (pronounced ah-yoh-deh-leh) is both a traditional given name and a statement meaning "joy has come home".

The term conveys the happiness felt when a baby is born. This new child is more than an addition to the family; it’s an entity that carries warmth, light, and a renewed purpose.

Rooted in German Romanticism, Waldeinsamkeit (pronounced valt-ayn-zahm-kayt) joins Wald (forest) and Einsamkeit (solitude). It describes the feeling of bliss experienced when wandering alone through the woods.

It’s all about a restorative connection with the natural world. Stepping away from the buzz of city life to walk beneath a canopy of green leaves allows the mind to slow down, reset, and experience a quiet, elemental happiness.

Perhaps this is the most famous expression of happiness. The French phrase joie de vivre (pronounced zhwah duh veev-ruh) translates literally to "the joy of living".

It represents an infectious love for existence itself. Someone who has joie de vivre finds delight in a fresh baguette, a good conversation, or a casual afternoon walk. It’s a philosophy that treats living as an art form worthy of celebration.

Odd words, old meanings

These 10 idioms and phrases are still in use, but don’t always make sense

How much is a notch when it comes to volume? Who is Bob, and why is he everyone’s uncle? What is the difference between a spider web and a cobweb? Languages change with time and use, and English is no exception, but some phrases remain frozen in time, and while we still use them, we don’t always know their literal meaning. Here are 10 idioms and words that don’t make sense, but once did.

We often use the phrase "to a T" (sometimes spelled "to a tee") to indicate something done perfectly, with precision. But is it about the letter "T"? Not really. The original phrase used to be "to a tittle," with tittle being the proper name for the dot of the "i" or the "j," and it conveyed the idea of doing something accurately, down to the smallest detail. Eventually, "tittle" was shortened to "T," but the phrase had already stuck, even if its literal meaning was lost.

Although "fathom" might sound very formal, we all know that it is synonymous with "understand." But did you know that fathom is actually a nautical unit of measurement? From the Old English fæðm ("the span of the arms" or "embrace"), it represented the distance between the left and right fingertips of outstretched arms. Eventually, a "fathom" was standardized to about six feet or two yards, and was mainly used by sailors to measure water depth. It was this connection with depth that led the word to take on a figurative meaning of "getting to the bottom" of something, or understanding it thoroughly.

Popularly, we understand that a "red herring" is something meant to give false clues or distract from another pressing issue. But why a herring? Herrings turn red when smoked and also acquire a strong, pungent smell, which made them a great tool for training hunting dogs, as the smell of the fish covered the trail of the prey. As a metaphor, though, it was popularized in the early 19th century by journalist William Cobbett, who used it to describe how the press was easily swayed by false news.

If something is a "rule of thumb," it means that it’s a common guideline, usually based on experience rather than science. In its origins, this phrase was quite literal: thumbs served as a rule. Tradesmen often used the width and length of their thumbs to take and remember measurements, a system that, though practical and effective, only worked for the owner of the thumb in question. Its use as an idiom comes from 17th century writers comparing this popular method with more scientific measuring systems.

If someone asks us to "take it down a notch," how much should we lower our volume? With "notch," this idiom refers to mechanical dials, like the ones used in a radio, where the notches signal the different levels. And while radios only date back to the 20th century, the roots of this idiom go all the way back to the 17th century and to the phrase "take it down a peg," related to wooden pins used for measurements.

Is there a difference between a cobweb and a spiderweb? Although they are synonymous, most dictionaries will make the distinction that "cobweb" is particularly used for dusty, abandoned spiderwebs. But what does the "cob" part mean? "Cobweb" is derived from the Middle English coppeweb, composed of coppe ("spider") and web ("woven fabric"). If we go one step further, coppe comes from the Old English attorcoppe ("spider"), a mix of attor ("poison") and coppe ("head" or "round thing"). So, despite the slight difference in their actual use, "cobweb" and "spiderweb" mean the same thing.

It isn’t difficult to see how "breaking the ice" might have originated from people actually breaking ice, but what many ignore is that this custom (and the phrase) is rooted in diplomacy and trade. When large trade vessels were unable to advance due to frozen rivers, canals, or harbors, it was common to send people in a small boat to "break the ice" and allow the ship to continue its course. In some places, however, locals would send "icebreakers" to clear the path for a foreign vessel as a welcome and a sign of goodwill. The metaphorical use of the phrase exists in many languages, but it was first recorded in English in the 16th century.

The idea of "letting down your hair" is popularly associated with relaxing and letting formalities aside, but the phrase is rooted in an actual Medieval and Renaissance custom. Traditionally, single women would keep their hair loose and uncovered, but would pin it up once they married. It was not proper for a married woman to be seen in public with their hair down, something they would only do in the comfort of their home, foregoing elaborate hairstyles and uncomfortable pins. Eventually, loose hair lost its social status meaning, but the connection with relaxation remained.

According to historians, no one knows who Uncle Bob is, or what his connection is with simple and easily accomplished tasks, but popular folklore claims to have the answer. According to this theory, the phrase refers to British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (who went by Bob), appointing his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland, a position he was woefully unqualified for, but that was made possible because "Bob’s your uncle".

Have you ever wondered why midwives have that name? After all, there is nothing "mid" nor necessarily "wifely" in helping someone give birth. The answer takes us back to Old English, where mid meant "with" or "together with," and wif (the origin of "wife") meant "woman," "female," or "lady," and not necessarily a married female. First recorded around the year 1300, "midwife" was an accompanying person (typically a woman) who assisted mothers during labor. Although the literal meaning of the term is lost to us, the importance of the role was surely the reason this word survived through the centuries.