The most beautiful word in the world is from New Zealand. What does it mean?
It's hard to pronounce, and even rarer to hear.
A representative of the Maori people. Photo: Joshua A. Bickel / AP
Nevertheless, a special international jury recognized "kaitiakitanga" as the most beautiful word in the world. This word hides a concept for which there is no exact equivalent in Slavic languages, writes Bild.
This word comes from the Maori language — the indigenous people of New Zealand. It signifies humanity's responsibility towards nature, its calling to protect and preserve it for future generations.
However, it implies much more than just environmental protection: according to the Maori worldview, humans are not owners of nature, but a part of it and its guardians.
The title of the most beautiful word in the world was awarded for the first time.
This was done by the language learning platform Babbel. To choose the winner, its team analyzed discussions on social networks and language forums. An international jury of linguists and cultural experts determined the winner.
223 words from more than 75 languages competed for this title. Not only sound and pronunciation were evaluated, but also the meaning of the concept, its cultural uniqueness, and its relevance to people worldwide.
Finalists — words from Portuguese, Japanese, and other languages
Among other finalists were the Portuguese "Saudade" — a deep longing (Cesária Évora has such a sad song), the Japanese "Ikigai" — the meaning of life, the Welsh "Hiraeth" — a longing for a lost homeland, the word "Ubuntu" from the Zulu language, which means humanity and unity, as well as "Luftmensch" from Yiddish. This is how a dreamy, idealistic person is called, who is little interested in material things and lives rather in the world of ideas.