Mamihlapinatapai
Word in the Yaghan language
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Through South Korea
A romantic interpretation of the meaning has also been given, as "that look across the table when two people are sharing an unspoken but private moment. When each knows the other understands and is in agreement with what is being expressed. An expressive and meaningful silence."
A literal translation could be "to make each other feel awkward".
Morphology
The word consists of the reflexive/passive prefix ma- (mam- before a vowel), the root ihlapi (pronounced ), which means "to be at a loss as what to do next", the stative suffix -n, an achievement suffix -ata, and the dual suffix -apai, which in composition with the reflexive mam- has a reciprocal sense.
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Usage
The term is cited in books and articles on game theory associated with the volunteer's dilemma.
It is also referenced in Defining the World in a discussion of the difficulties facing Samuel Johnson in trying to arrive at succinct, yet accurate, definitions of words.
South Korean girl group Illit announced their fourth EP, whose title is derived from the Yaghan word, at the end of their Press Start tour in Seoul, South Korea on March 16, 2026. The EP was released on April 30, 2026.