With only 330,000 residents, Iceland has a pretty small population and even fewer native speakers of Icelandic. With archaic roots that still carry over into this modern language, Icelandic is unique in that it is very close to Old Norse. Another thing that makes it unique is that it is constantly changing, as new translations of foreign words are readily made available. Here are some beautiful words that don’t quite have a direct translation into English.
Raðljóst (n.)
Pronounce it like this: rath-ljoust
Skúmaskot (n.)
Pronounce it like this: skewma-skoat
Nenna (v.)
Pronounce it like this: nennah
Skreppa (v.)
Pronounce it like this: skreppah
Vesen (n.)
Pronounce it like this: veh-sen
Kærasti / Kærasta (n.)
Pronounce it like this: kai-rasti / kai-rasta
Ljósmóðir (n.)
Pronounce it like this: ljous-mow-thr
Jæja (interj.)
Pronounce it like this: yai-yah
Víðsýni (n.)
Pronounce it like this: vith-see-nee
Ísbíltúr (n.)
Pronounce it like this: ees-beel-tour
Duglegur (adj.)
Pronounce it like this: doog-leg-ur
Ástfangin (adj.)
Pronounce it like this: owst-faungin
Gluggaveður (n.)
Pronounce it like this: glew-ga-veth-ur
Tölva (n.)
Pronounce it like this: toelva
Dragsúgur (n.)
Pronounce it like this: drag-sue-gher
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