Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language, in fact it\u2019s the 3rd most commonly spoken language in the world (after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish). Interestingly enough it\u2019s the number 1 second language used worldwide \u2013 which is why the total number of people who speak English, outnumber those of any other.<\/p>\n
But whilst it\u2019s the most widely spoken language, there\u2019s still a few areas it falls down on (strange and bizarre punctuation rules aside). We look at 25 \u00a0(and yet after reading this list, you\u2019ll wish they did!)<\/p>\n
1 Age-otori <\/strong>(Japanese): To look worse after a haircut<\/p>\n 2 Arigata-meiwaku<\/strong> (Japanese): An act someone does for you that you didn\u2019t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do, but they went ahead anyway, determined to do you a favor, and then things went wrong and caused you a lot of trouble, yet in the end social conventions required you to express gratitude<\/p>\n 3 Backpfeifengesicht <\/strong>(German): A face badly in need of a fist<\/p>\n 4 Bakku-shan<\/strong> (Japanese): A beautiful girl\u2026 as long as she\u2019s being viewed from behind<\/p>\n 5 Desenrascan\u00e7o<\/strong> (Portuguese): \u201cto disentangle\u201d yourself out of a bad situation (To MacGyver it)<\/p>\n 6 Duende <\/strong>(Spanish): a climactic show of spirit in a performance or work of art, which might be fulfilled in flamenco dancing, or bull-fighting, etc.<\/p>\n 7 Forelsket <\/strong>(Norwegian): The euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love<\/p>\n 8 Gigil<\/strong> (pronounced Gheegle; Filipino): The urge to pinch or squeeze something that is unbearably cute<\/p>\n 9 Guanxi<\/strong> (Mandarin): in traditional Chinese society, you would build up good guanxi by giving gifts to people, taking them to dinner, or doing them a favor, but you can also use up your gianxi by asking for a favor to be repaid<\/p>\n 10 Ilunga <\/strong>(Tshiluba, Congo): A person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time<\/p>\n 11 L\u2019esprit de l\u2019escalier<\/strong> (French): usually translated as \u201cstaircase wit,\u201d is the act of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late to deliver it<\/p>\n 12 Lito<\/strong>st (Czech): a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one\u2019s own misery<\/p>\n 13 Mamihlapinatapa<\/strong>i (Yaghan): A look between two people that suggests an unspoken, shared desire<\/p>\n 14 Manja<\/strong> (Malay): \u201cto pamper\u201d, it describes gooey, childlike and coquettish behavior by women designed to elicit sympathy or pampering by men. \u201cHis girlfriend is a damn manja. Hearing her speak can cause diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n 15 Merak<\/strong>i (pronounced may-rah-kee; Greek): Doing something with soul, creativity, or love. It\u2019s when you put something of yourself into what you\u2019re doing<\/p>\n 16 Nunchi<\/strong> (Korean): the subtle art of listening and gauging another\u2019s mood. In Western culture, nunchi could be described as the concept of emotional intelligence. Knowing what to say or do, or what not to say or do, in a given situation. A socially clumsy person can be described as \u2018nunchi eoptta\u2019, meaning \u201cabsent of nunchi\u201d<\/p>\n 17 Pena ajena<\/strong> (Mexican Spanish): The embarrassment you feel watching someone else\u2019s humiliation<\/p>\n 18 Pochemuchka<\/strong> (Russian): a person who asks a lot of questions<\/p>\n 19 Schadenfreude (German): the pleasure derived from someone else\u2019s pain<\/p>\n