# What words define a nation’s culture? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191 "2021-03-04T18:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/1 "2021-03-04T18:55:43Z")
I’ve been reading a fascinating book on Mexican culture by an ex-intelligence officer. He uses an interesting approach - he picks about a hundred words which gave a very deep, historical, widely understood and nuanced meaning in the culture and discusses them in detail. In Mexico, these include terms like _confianza_ and _empresario_. It’s an ingenious approach. I’m curious to know the top five words in your country, or a culture you know well, that encapsulate some of the most important points? One thinks of things like _hygge_ or _no worries_. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/2 "2021-03-04T19:02:43Z")
I don’t know about 5 words, but for the US, I’d suggest: personal freedom personal entitlement selfishness judgmentalism hypocrisy intolerance waste Of course if we were discussing what the US CLAIMS as its culture, that would be a different matter. On edit, I apologize. I assume you are asking something different than I answered. Maybe: gimme and fuck you. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/3 "2021-03-04T20:59:26Z")
Costa Rica: pura vida ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/4 "2021-03-05T06:41:34Z")
[Ubuntu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_philosophy) just now - the South African equivalent of _mañana_ Apartheid - shouldn’t need explanation braai - grilling meat, the universal cuisine shared across racial divides. [stokvel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokvel) - ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/5 "2021-03-05T09:12:29Z")
All of these defining Israeli words are basically untranslatable, but I’ll try: _Chutzpah_ - you know this one, although in Israel it can have both positive and negative connotations. _Tachles_ - means something like, “the bottom line”. It’s what you get when you strip away all of the extraneous bullshit. _Hamatzav_ - “the Situation”. The annoying thing happening in the country that we all have to deal with. Terrorism can be _hamatzav_; right now, Covid-19 is _hamatzav_. _Frier_ - a sucker, a dupe. The worst thing you can be. _Davka_ - a general term indicating contrariness. Based on context, it can mean anything from “Actually” to “Fuck you, that’s why”. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/6 "2021-03-05T10:18:09Z")
There is (was, I suppose) an awesome _Tacheles_ in East Berlin. I suppose it was always popular with young Israelis? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-define-a-nation-s-culture/937191/7 "2021-03-05T11:30:04Z")
I don’t know, but it’s from the same Yiddish word (meaning “straight talk”, from the Hebrew _tachlit_, “purpose”).