Foreign Words

There are some foreign words that just capture shit. I have a list here of three words from three different languages that I constantly use and love. 

Schadenfreude: This is a German word. I learned it from the seriously cute and sharp-witted comedian Trevor Noah. It describes that feeling you have when you delight in someone else’s misery. As of 25th March 2025, after the drug bust of a local entrepreneur, a very apt word to describe the mood of Mizo netizens, feels like. Which, by the way, was the random muse that inspired this blog.

Mendokusai: This is a Japanese word. I learned it from Atu who is my Go To for all things Japanese. My favourite rendition of it is by Nyanko Sensei in his Madara form, from Natsume Yujinchou. It is the same as the Mizo “AVBT”. For those who don’t speak Mizo, the very tame English word for it is “troublesome”, the exclamation of it probably being, “what a bother!” or more colourfully: for fuck’s sake. Captures the essence, doesn’t it?

Maya: This is Sanskrit for illusion. It recalls the great sages of India who refer to this world as such. An illusion. Of the cosmic variety. The most famous representation of Maya in popular culture is possibly The Matrix, where people are unaware of their true selves and their true reality and are wrapped up instead in a grand illusion. Delusion, perhaps. For those who can see past this veil of reality that obscures the true face of the self and the universe, greatness and a sense of peace possibly, is possible. Maya relates to Brahma, the Creator. In that all things are One. To think of yourself as anything different from the Universe is a lie. Because anything that takes you away from this Union with God is Maya. Illusion. Beautiful.

If you want to start adding them into your lexicon, be my guest. Just memorise the spellings and Google for the pronunciations.