Hiraeth

Hiraeth is a Welsh noun describing a deep, often melancholic longing for a homeland, place, or time and for the people who belong there. It is commonly described as more than homesickness or nostalgia, combining yearning, grief, and a sense that home exists only as an imagined or unreachable ideal. The term is native to the Welsh language and widely used in Welsh literature, poetry, and song to express an emotional condition tied to place, lineage, and national identity. The etymology is Welsh, with no exact English equivalent; translations such as "homesickness" or "longing" can misrepresent its blend of ache, longing, and belonging.

In practice, hiraeth can refer to longing for a Wales that has changed or for a homeland left behind in childhood, for a place that no longer exists as one remembers it, or for a time and sense of belonging that cannot be regained. Some writers describe it as a bittersweet ache for something that is now out of reach, yet never fully lost.

Cultural significance: It is a recurring concept in Welsh literature, music, and art and has become a key touchstone in discussions of Welsh identity, diaspora, and cultural continuity. In English-language usage, it is often used as a loanword to convey a similar sense of irretrievable longing for home or place.

Comparison: Unlike nostalgia, which is memory-based longing for the past; and unlike simple homesickness, which is physical absence, hiraeth combines longing, loss, and a sense of belonging to a homeland or past that may be unrecoverable.