Untranslatable Concepts in Language: The Case of Russian, your examples

I wanted to share something that might be interesting both for people learning Russian and for anyone curious about linguistic phenomena. I’d also really love to hear examples from your native languages.

In Russian, there’s a word: “sovest’” (совесть). It’s often translated into English as “conscience,” “moral sense,” or sometimes “guilt,” but none of these fully capture what Russian speakers usually mean by it.

For example, you can say:

“You have no sovest’”

“Do you even have a sovest’?!”

It’s a very abstract concept — something like an internal moral compass, but also connected to social awareness, shame, and a sense of responsibility toward others. It feels a bit broader and more emotionally loaded than its typical English equivalents.

My theory is that the cultural weight of this concept may have been shaped during the Soviet era, when collective values, moral duty, and social accountability were heavily emphasized.

Do you have any examples of “untranslatable” words from your language? I’d love to hear your examples — I’ll add them to my list of words.