The Czech language has a way of naming feelings, objects, and situations that English often circles around without ever quite landing. Some words are playful, some oddly precise, and others sound funny even to native speakers. What they all have in common is that they don’t translate cleanly into English.
Here are seven Czech words I genuinely love, not because they’re “exotic,” but because they capture something specific that English usually describes with a whole sentence.
Nejkulaťoulinkatější
This word is a nightmare to pronounce and even worse to write, which is probably why almost nobody actually uses it. Still, it exists, and that alone makes it special.
Nejkulaťoulinkatější means something like the most perfectly round and tiny imaginable. It’s a superlative, double-diminutive form built on the idea of roundness. Think of an absurdly small, perfectly smooth marble or bead. Not just round, but adorably, excessively round.
Even native Czech speakers stumble over it. It’s the kind of word you bring out as a joke, a challenge, or a linguistic flex.
Červánky
This is one of those words that immediately paints a picture if you know it. Červánky refers to the red-pink glow in the sky shortly after sunset, when the day has ended but darkness hasn’t fully arrived yet.
English uses afterglow, but that word doesn’t tell you much. Červánky carries color, mood, and timing all at once. It comes from červený (red) and feels warm, nostalgic, and calm.
It’s the word you use when the sky looks so good you stop walking just to stare at it.
Tajtrdlík
Tajtrdlík is a gentle word for someone being silly, clumsy, or harmlessly ridiculous. It’s often used for children, but adults can qualify too.
A tajtrdlík might:
- put their shirt on inside out and not notice
- forget what they were sent to buy and return with something completely different
- do something well-intended but spectacularly wrong
It’s not an insult. There’s affection in it. You can call your kid, your friend, or even your pet a tajtrdlík without offending anyone.
Pošušňáníčko
This word is about enjoyment, especially food or drink, but not in a formal or serious way. Pošušňáníčko describes that moment when something tastes so good you feel it in your body, not just your mouth.
It’s what you say after an unexpectedly great meal, a homemade dessert, or a strong drink that hits just right. Not “delicious” in a restaurant-review sense, but satisfying in a deeply sensory way.
There’s no single English equivalent. It’s closer to pure indulgence, but warmer and more playful.
Udělátko
Udělátko is Czech’s answer to thingy, but somehow even more useful. It comes from udělat (to make or do) and refers to any object whose name you can’t remember but whose function you absolutely need.
You don’t know if it’s called a corkscrew, opener, tool, or gadget. You just know it does the thing. So you ask for the udělátko.
Every Czech household has at least three udělátka.
Podprdelník
This one always makes non-Czechs laugh. Podprdelník is a cushion or pad you sit on, usually outdoors, to avoid sitting directly on something cold.
The word is literal:
- pod = under
- prdel = butt
It’s practical, informal, and definitely not something you’d say in polite company. Still, it’s incredibly efficient. One word, zero ambiguity.
If you use it correctly in a sentence, native speakers will instantly know you’re not learning Czech from a textbook.
Těhulka
Těhulka is an affectionate diminutive for a pregnant woman. It comes from těhotná but softens it in a way English doesn’t really do.
It’s the difference between pregnant woman and something closer to mom-to-be, but warmer and more personal. It’s usually used among friends or family and carries care, admiration, and closeness.
It’s not formal, and it’s not something you’d use with strangers, but in the right context, it feels natural and kind.
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