Originally Posted by TGS
Danish has a word "hyggelig" (which is pronounced something like "who'kerly" would be in English - if you can imagine that), which so far as I can tell has no equivalent in any language. The meaning of the word has something to do with atmosphere - it is often translated as cosy, but that's not quite right, it is broader than cosy. One can be hyggelig sitting with friends on a hot summer day drinking a few beers. One can also be hyggelig alone - imagine getting home on a dark cold winter evening, your house is warm, you make some hot chocolate, light some candles, wrap yourself up in a blanket, take out you liseuse and become pleasurably absorbed in reading - that's hyggelig. One can be hyggelig at a big party, or a small dinner. The pursuit of hyggelig, creating hyggelig, finding occasions for hyggelig seems to underpin much of life in Denmark.
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