Illustrating untranslatable words

Weird Wonderful Words

I’ve always loved words & languages (speaking a few languages myself), and I’ve been fascinated by untranslatable words for a while: there are many words that have intricate meanings and can't be translated directly into English.

The Weird Wonderful Words project explores 100 untranslatable words from all over the globe, from Japan to Italy, combining digital illustration and hand lettering.

It started as an Instagram project for #The100DayProject in 2018, and then it became something more interesting every day, from an artistic and human point of view – I even got a chance to exhibit the 100 words at Hart’s Bakery in Bristol.

I am delighted to announce that I will be exhibiting my Weird Wonderful Words project at Harts Bakery in Bristol. ⠀ If you are in Bristol, come and get something sweet at Harts Bakery and explore my 100 unique illustrations, from Tuesday 7th of May t
Here we are: 100/100 of #The100DayProject! It feels great to have reached 100 days with 100 illustrations of weird and wonderful words. Congrats to everyone else who’s reached the end of the project (and to all the participants throughout)! The
Zapoi (or zapoy) is a Russian word that indicates two or more days of continuous drunkenness (and not always in the fun way). 99/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #lettering #calligrap
Yūgen is an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics – it describes the subtle profundity of things, the mysterious sense of beauty of the universe... Like watching the sun sink behind a flower clad hill (Zeami Motokiyo). 98/100. .
Yoko meshi is a Japanese word used for the stress of speaking in a foreign language that you don’t know well – I’ve experienced it many times, for me it’s a rush of blood to my cheeks, a fluttery sensation in the stomach, and
What a sad, sad word! The Arabic word Ya’aburnee describes the feeling of wanting to die before someone else, because their death would be too much to bear. So much sadness and love all in one word! 96/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100dayso
This is the last German word of the project – again and again I marvel at the ability of German words to express deep concepts, such as Weltschmerz. Similar in some ways to the Turkish Hüzün (day 32), Weltschmerz is the feeling of des
Wanderlust is my only English word in the 100 words chosen for the project. I had to include it in the list, as it’s so special to me and I love its meaning! 94/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject201
I’ve grown up in the woods, so the German word waldeninsamkeit (the peaceful feeling of being alone in the woods) is something very close to my heart. There’s nothing quite like it. 93/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonde
The Japanese wabi-sabi has been inspiring me for years in such a simple and powerful way. Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. In my illustratio
I so love voorpret! This Dutch word describes the feeling of anticipation and excitement before a fun event – the equivalent of the German Vorfreude. 91/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handl
Vedriti is a lovely Slovenian word and it means taking shelter from the rain and waiting for it to finish. 90/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #lettering #calligraphy #letteringlover
How wonderful is the first beer enjoyed outdoors in the sunshine after winter? Utepils is a Norwegian word that describes that exact feeling. 89/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #lett
Going out for a walk in nature in order to clear your mind: this is the meaning of the Dutch word uitwaaien. 88/100.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #lettering #calligraphy #letteri
The Norwegian uff da is a way of saying “I’m sorry to hear that”. 87/100.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #lettering #calligraphy #letteringlover #calligraphylover
Are you guilty of tsundoku, Japanese for buying a book and leaving it unread in a pile of other unread books? 86/100.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #lettering #calligraphy #letter
I am not a coffee drinker (tea forever!) but I find this Swedish word really lovely – tretår, a second refill of a cup of coffee. Coffee lovers, what do you think? 85/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100D
In Yiddish, trepverter is the witty comeback that comes when it’s too late. This is the equivalent of l’esprit de l’escalier in French (day 42) – I love that I posted that exactly 42 days ago, it’s a fun coincidence! 84/
Vladimir Nabokov describes the Russian word Toska with great subtlety – a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any cause. 83/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords #The100DayProject2018 #handlettering #let
Tokka: a large herd of reindeer in Finnish. This word was actually supposed to be published yesterday but you get it today 😉 When drawing it, I had some lovely winter vibes going on. 82/100. . . . . . #The100DayProject #100daysofweirdwonderfulwords

Want to buy Weird Wonderful Words prints? I am selling postcards and small prints. Get in touch at weirdwonderfulwords@gmail.com

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