‘Saudade’ is one of the most beautiful Portuguese words, and is quite well-known for being untranslatable. But is ‘saudade’ really untranslatable? Or are there other languages that found a word for this bittersweet Portuguese feeling? Keep reading to find out some nearly perfect equivalents for ‘saudade.’

What exactly is ‘saudade’?

According to Wikipedia, ‘saudade’ can be described as:

“a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return. […] Stronger forms of saudade might be felt towards people and things, whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing, moved away, separated, or died.”

As a Portuguese myself, I can tell you that ‘saudade’ is not just rooted in our culture, it’s a part of our identity. We grow up hearing about how the Portuguese sailors left their wives, and children not knowing if they’d ever come back to their homeland– what did they feel? Saudades, of course.

‘Saudade’ is also present in our traditional music ‘fado’, and it’s a recurring theme in Portuguese, and Brazilian literature. We also use somewhat poetic expressions such as ‘matar saudades’ (literally ‘to kill saudades’) to describe the feeling of no longer wanting to be separated from someone you’re missing.

Still, though ‘saudade’ is used in these intense emotional contexts, it can also be used in casual, everyday situations. For example, you could say ‘Tenho saudades tuas’, which means ‘I miss you’, to your best friend who’s currently on vacation.

What’s the origin of the word ‘saudade’?

Let’s talk etymology for a second. It’s generally agreed that the Portuguese word ‘saudade’ comes from the Latin solitate (meaning isolation/solitude), which later became ‘soidade’ – a term still used today in Galician. So, if ‘saudade’ comes from the Latin, isn’t it odd that there’s no equivalent for this word in other Latin languages?

Well, there’s actually an explanation for this. According to philologist José Pedro Machado, whereas in Portuguese the meaning of ‘saudade’ evolved from ‘solitude’ to this special kind of nostalgia for things, and people who are gone, or far away from you, in other Latin languages the same didn’t happen.

That explains why you have the Spanish ‘soledad’, or ‘soledat’ in Catalan, for example. These words have the same Latin origin as ‘saudade’, but their meaning remained unchanged (their English equivalent being solitude till today).

5 nearly perfect equivalents of the word ‘saudade’

1. ‘Sevdah’ (Bosnian)

The Bosnian term Sevdah, comes from the Turkish sevda (love) and means longing for someone you love. Sevdah or sevdalinke (pl) is also a genre of traditional music from Bosnia and Herzegovina that – much like the Portuguese ‘fado’ – has a theme of sadness, and emotional pain to it.

2. կարոտ – ‘Karot’ (Armenian)

կարոտ (‘karot’) is an Armenian word used to describe a feeling of longing, or yearning for something, or someone. Once again, a sort of intense and deeply melancholic nostalgia. The word comes from the Old Armenian ‘karōt’, which means a desire, wish, or need.

3. ‘Dor’ (Romanian)

As we’ve seen earlier, most Latin languages don’t have an equivalent for ‘saudade’, but Romanian is an interesting exception. In the Romanian language, the word ‘dor’ describes that longing, and aching feeling of missing someone, or something. It comes from the Latin dolus (meaning pain). Just like with ‘saudade’, you can also use ‘dor in everyday situations. If you want to say, you miss someone for example you’d say ‘mi-e dor de tine’.

4. Hiraeth (Welsh)

Just like the Romanian ‘dor’, ‘hiraeth’ is possibly the closest to an exact equivalent of ‘saudade’ you will ever find. This Welsh word has equivalents in Cornish (‘hireth’), and Breton (‘hiraezh’), and has Proto-Brythonic, and Proto-Celtic origins. It connotes an intense homesickness, a deep longing for something, or someone departed, long gone, or lost. It’s a wistful feeling that can be tinged with grief, and regret. I find it very similar to ‘saudade.’

5. тоска – ‘Toska’ (Russian)

Some argue ‘Toska’ describes a feeling only known by Russians, but I believe it has similar connotations to ‘saudade.’ ‘Toska’ comes from the proto-Slavic root tъska. According to Russia Beyond, in the Old East Slavic language, тъска meant “tightness, grief, sadness, worry.” Today ‘toska’ means a sort of acute sadness for distant places, or a time gone by. A unique kind of melancholy that can hit you out of nowhere.

Did you know ‘saudade’ had equivalents in other languages? What are some of your favourite untranslatable words? Let me in the comments!