Hindi words that English cannot quite translate

Anyone who speaks two languages knows the moment: you reach for the right word and it only exists in one of them. Here are some Hindi words that need a sentence in English.

इंतज़ार (intezaar)

Usually translated as "waiting", but that is too flat. Intezaar is waiting with feeling: for someone to return, for news to arrive, for a letter. It has hope in it, and sometimes ache. English "wait" can be as dull as waiting for a bus.

तसल्ली (tasalli)

A feeling of settled reassurance. When you finally hear that someone reached home safely and your shoulders drop, that is tasalli. English has "relief" and "comfort", but each covers only part of it.

फ़ुरसत (fursat)

Free time, but with a quality of being unhurried. Not just a gap in the schedule, but a stretch of leisure in which you can sit with tea and do nothing. "Spare time" sounds like something you use for chores.

अपनापन (apnapan)

The feeling of belonging, of being treated as one of the family even by someone who is not. A neighbour who walks into your kitchen without knocking and it feels fine. English "warmth" or "familiarity" come near, but not close enough.

जुगाड़ (jugaad)

A clever, improvised fix made with whatever is at hand. It can be admiring or a little wry. Related to ingenuity, though that word has none of the street level humour.

नज़रअंदाज़ करना (nazar-andaaz karna)

To deliberately overlook something, pretending not to see. The English "ignore" is harsher. This one can be a kindness, or a quiet form of avoidance.

चैन (chain)

Peace of the body and mind together. "Ek pal ka chain nahi" means not a moment's rest, in the sense that the mind will not settle. "Peace" and "rest" each capture a bit.

ठहराव (thehraav)

A pause, a stillness, a point where something stops moving and just stays. Used for people, for rivers, for a period in life. English "stillness" is close, but thehraav suggests it is a chosen or natural halt.

Why this matters for writers

If you write in English but your characters think in Hindi, you face this problem constantly. A few options:

• Keep the Hindi word and let the context explain it. Readers are better at this than we think.
• Explain it once, briefly, the first time it appears, then use it freely.
• Find a phrase in English that carries the feeling, even if it is longer.
• Avoid the footnote for every word. It breaks the flow.

The same works the other way

English also has words that Hindi speakers borrow because the exact shade is missing. This is how languages grow.

Do you have a word that you cannot translate? Everyone has one. It tends to be tied to a person or a place, and that is why it is hard to give up.