Favorite Words

Every now and then my job brings me into contact with people from foreign countries. I try to remember to ask them what their favorite word is in their native language. Assuming English is their native language, I ask for a good slang word instead. What follows is a list of some of the words I've been given so far.

Gezellig (adj.) -- A Dutch* word meaning friendly or social. It can also mean the act or situation of friendliness and camaraderie. Going on a bike ride or hanging out with friends is gezellig. It can also be used in the negative. If someone is acting unfriendly and antisocial, you could say, "Well, he's not very gezellig today, is he?"

* German visitors insisted to me that the word is German. The Dutch guy told me it was Dutch. I'm not arguing.

No'ka'oi (phrase?) -- A Hawaiian phrase/expression that means "number one" (pretty much, as far as I can tell). You would say something like "Rainbow Warriors no ka oi" to say that the University of Hawaii team is the best, or something like that.

(NOTE: The girls who told me this word were gorgeous. GORGEOUS, I tell you)

Oachkatzlschwoaf (noun) -- A squirrel's tail. Two different sets of Germans months apart mentioned this word. It's a southern German thing.

Mysigt (adj.) -- Swedish for "cozy". The "my-" part is a little elongated, and there's emphasis on the second syllable, so it ends up sounding like "myyy-ZIGT".

(NOTE: This word came from a blonde Swedish exchange student)

Lampi Mampi (adj.) -- Finnish for "warmer", as opposed to "cooler". I can't find a search result for this anywhere on Google, so I'm sure the spelling is off. The girl told me the p's sound like b's.

Sisu (adj.) -- This is a descriptive word, though calling it an adjective feels a little inadequate. It's a word Finnish people use to describe the toughness, the endurance, and the guts that it takes to make it through the Finnish winter. We might use a word like "fortitude".

(NOTE: The Finnish guy and girl were two of the coolest people I've met. They were driving from Los Angeles to New York and were going to New Orleans the day before the Super Bowl. I liked them immensely. The girl was worth learning Finnish for.)

BONUS FINNISH WORD!

Aurinkokello (noun) -- Sundial. Aurinko = sun; kello = clock or watch

Hyggelig (adj.) -- Danish for "cozy". The Scandinavians must love their coziness. Sounds like "HOOG-a-lig"

Møjn (adj.) -- Pretty much the Danish version of "aloha", an all-purpose word that means "hi/hello/good day/goodbye". Pronounced "moin", like "coin".

Barbe à Papa (noun) -- French for "cotton candy" (the favorite French word of a Spanish girl). Literally "Daddy's beard"

The most recent word comes with a story.

An Argentinian lady the other day said that Argentinians curse all the time. "Every ten words, nine are bad," she said. She and her husband were watching the weather and the weatherman said, "You may remember that yesterday we said that it would rain in Buenos Aires today. As you know, it did not rain there today. So, you can take your umbrella and stick it up your ass."

She said there is a word that Argentinian men use all the time. When you say it to someone you don't like it's an insult, but when you say it to your friends it's okay. "It is sort of like when men here call someone a son of a you-know-what. If you don't know them it is bad, but when it is your friends it is acceptable."

Her husband wrote it out for me: B-O-L-U-D-O

The Internet says it's used to mean dumb, stupid, a moron, a jackass. The visitors told me it more literally means "small brain, large testicles".