‘Untranslatable’ Irish, Filipino and Malaysian words added to Oxford English Dictionary

New words from all over the world were added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) for the first time, as the creators say that their use has become so commonplace in the language.

These are different ‘unknown words’ that the OED says by speakers in the English language to fill a ‘lexical void’.

‘Sometimes they do this with enough frequency that the borrowed word eventually becomes part of the vocabulary of their variety of English,’ Danica Salazar, OED Executive editor said.

These words come from different continents, with supplements from Southeast Asia, South Africa and Ireland. New Dictionaries from OED contain these words in the future, as the literary resource continues to expand.

Here are just some of the new words that made the cut:

‘Class’ – Ireland

Many indigenous English speakers probably know and use the word ‘class’ as a general approval period. The use of the word as a adjective dates only from 1981, finds the OED, which originated in Ireland.

Ms Salazar said: ” Class’ is how the main character Erin describes her hometown of Derry, Northern Country, in an episode of the first season of the popular sitcom Derry Girls. “

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Several other words from Ireland also made the list, including spice bag.

“It’s a takeaway meal that usually consists of chips, shredded deep-fried chicken, fried onions, red and green peppers, chilli peppers and jalapeño sweet peppers, throw in a bag with different spices and are served regularly with curry sauce,” the Oed said.

The delicacy was invented around 2006 in a Chinese takeaway restaurant in Dublin named Sunflower. The first quote in the OED for the entry was a social media post from 2012 from someone who is considering a trip to the venue to get one.

YOH! – South Africa

A few words from South Africa also appeared in the update, such as the imitative pronunciation ‘yoh’. This word is a ‘cry or exclamation’ used to express different emotions or reactions, such as surprise, wonder, admiration, shock or distress, ‘said Ms. Salazar said.

Another new word from South Africa includes ‘sharp sharp’, which has a few different meanings. The first is to use it as a casual way to say hello or goodbye, with this use back to 1991.

The second is to use it as a way to compliment someone’s style or just to comment on how generally excellent or fantastic they are, which has been in use since about 2018.

Gigil – the Philippines

‘Gigil’ is one of the most famous ‘untranslatable words’ used in the Philippines to describe a very specific feeling, Ms. Salazar said.

It describes the intense feeling a person gets when he sees something cute and gets the “irresistible urge to pinch our hands tightly, pinch and pinch or squeeze our teeth [it]”.

The dictionary publisher described Gigil as a “spicy name for such a strange, paradoxical emotion.” It can be used as a noun or an adjective to describe a person experiencing it.

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Another Philippine English entry includes ‘lumpia’, the name of different types of East and Southeast Asian spring roles. It typically consists of a “very thin pancake filled with mince, seafood or vegetables, rolled into a cylinder, sometimes deeply roasted and served with a dipping sauce.”

Ohamak – Malaysia and Singapore

The final countries with words that made the list are Malaysia and Singapore. One of these is ‘Alamak’, an exclamation used to convey surprise, shock, upset or outrage.

Several foods from the two countries also make the list, including ‘ketupat’, a small rice cake cooked in a bag of woven palm leaves. There is also “Otak-Otak”, a Southeast Asian dish consisting of ground fish or other seafood mixed with spices and coconut milk, and “Nasi Lemak”, a Malaysian dish rice cooked in coconut milk and flavored with pandan leaf.

Complete list of world English additions in the OED March 2025 Update

Irish English

Malaysian English and Singapore English

Philippine English

South African English