How does english native speaker imitate the sound like gun shot?

[winnerin2009]

well, i'm not an english native speaker, so i'm just very interested with this onomatopoeia. i can tell you the equivalence form in chinese is a sound like "pieu".

[The Niply Elder]

"kshh" is what it would be in english...

"pieu" is the sound that laser cats make...

[OldGuy]

The word in English is "bang" and very young kids might actually say that word when "shooting a gun." Older kids would make a more realistic sound for which pieu is a pretty good rendition I'd say The "p" is a pretty hard exhalation of breath through initially closed lips. The rest of the sound is pretty much like the word "you".

[WhyNot]

For a handgun, I think the word you're looking for is "bang", yes.

If the gun in question is a rifle, people often say, "I heard the crack of a rifle" or "the crack of rifleshot". In these examples, "crack" is the onomatopoeic word to describe the sound of the rifle firing.

[Colibri]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

Older kids would make a more realistic sound for which pieu is a pretty good rendition I'd say The "p" is a pretty hard exhalation of breath through initially closed lips. The rest of the sound is pretty much like the word "you".

The word "Pow!" is also common, and may indicate an approximation for this sound as well.

A machine gun goes ack-ack-ack-ack-ack (or at least it did when I was a kid).

[WhyNot]

Originally Posted by Colibri

A machine gun goes ack-ack-ack-ack-ack (or at least it did when I was a kid).

Ours went "rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat" or that sound my brothers could make but I never could master, best approximated in writing as "tchu-tchu-tchu-tchu-tchu"

[thelurkinghorror]

Pieu makes me think of a very wimpy blaster pistol. Think star wars. I would use "pkow," where the k is a cross between a "k" and "ch" sound. Sort of like the IPA "X" sound in "loch."

Relevant clip. Starts at about 1:00. Bang bang vs. pchew.

[Rhythmdvl]

Ping ping PING! It's Ricochet Rabbit!

[Fear Itself]

Originally Posted by Colibri

A machine gun goes ack-ack-ack-ack-ack (or at least it did when I was a kid).

Originally Posted by WhyNot

Ours went "rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat" or that sound my brothers could make but I never could master, best approximated in writing as "tchu-tchu-tchu-tchu-tchu"

Sgt. Rock's machine gun always went, "budda-budda-budda"

[Zsofia]

There's also "kapow!"

[kenobi 65]

Originally Posted by thelurkinghorror

Pieu makes me think of a very wimpy blaster pistol. Think star wars.

Agreed. Star Wars blasters go "pyoo pyoo pyoo". :-)

[Ashley Pomeroy]

Originally Posted by winnerin2009

well, i'm not an english native speaker, so i'm just very interested with this onomatopoeia. i can tell you the equivalence form in chinese is a sound like "pieu".

Something like an silenced MAC-10 or Uzi would be "phrrrrrrr, phrrrrrrr", you have to really vibrate your lips. A large calibre sniper rifle would be a kind of "booooooffff" noise. If you're pretending to be shot you have to do it in slow motion - throw your arms back and make a face, and act out the bullet impacts ("doosh, doosh, doosh"). Two to the chest and one in the forehead, the old Mozambique drill.

If you want to see this acted out here's a clip of Steve Coogan from "The Day Today" - fast-forward to about 2:10. Notice how he acts out the bullet impacts, that's important.

A shotgun would be "cuh-chunk POW!", or a licky-boom-boom-down, I learned that from Snow's classic rap hit "Informer".

Grenade! Cover me!

[thelurkinghorror]

Originally Posted by Ashley Pomeroy

A shotgun would be "cuh-chunk POW!", or a licky-boom-boom-down, I learned that from Snow's classic rap hit "Informer"

According to Qadir, from "Nicknames," most popularly off of the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack, a machine gun he calls Missy (Elliott?) goes "e-e-e-e-ow e-e-e-e-e-e-blaow."

[robert_columbia]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

The word in English is "bang" and very young kids might actually say that word when "shooting a gun." Older kids would make a more realistic sound for which pieu is a pretty good rendition I'd say The "p" is a pretty hard exhalation of breath through initially closed lips. The rest of the sound is pretty much like the word "you".

While pretty much any of these are acceptable, "bang" is the standard, imho. I'm a native English speaker from the US. "Pew", "kssht", and "pow" would also be fine. For a machine gun, one might repeat "rat-a-tat" or "dut-dut-dut". "Boom" can be used for a bomb as well as artillery or other non-handheld guns such as cannons or mortars.

[glaeken]

Originally Posted by Ashley Pomeroy

Something like an silenced MAC-10 or Uzi would be "phrrrrrrr, phrrrrrrr", you have to really vibrate your lips. A large calibre sniper rifle would be a kind of "booooooffff" noise. If you're pretending to be shot you have to do it in slow motion - throw your arms back and make a face, and act out the bullet impacts ("doosh, doosh, doosh"). Two to the chest and one in the forehead, the old Mozambique drill.

If you want to see this acted out here's a clip of Steve Coogan from "The Day Today" - fast-forward to about 2:10. Notice how he acts out the bullet impacts, that's important.

A shotgun would be "cuh-chunk POW!", or a licky-boom-boom-down, I learned that from Snow's classic rap hit "Informer".

Grenade! Cover me!

That reminds me of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sqSQ5Vu8vM

[Mister Rik]

BANG!

[Chronos]

I think of "Pow!" as being more of a punch than a gunshot.

[Pushkin]

Originally Posted by glaeken

That reminds me of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sqSQ5Vu8vM

Or guns and a jetpack.

[[cc]]

Probably depends on exactly which english-speaking area you come from. In Detroit, we have a couple dozen different ways to vocalize gunfire, depending on the type of gun, rate of fire, distance to the listener, and how sideways it's being held...

[Colophon]

If you're urban it's "brap", innit bruv.

[Rampant Coypu]

A handgun is "bang" for 9mm up, "pow' for smaller. "Paw" or "boom" for shotguns. A high pitched "kich" or "psew" for high powered rifles.

[Peanuthead]

Don't forget Walter Mitty and his pokket-a pokket-a pokket-a.

[Fear Itself]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

Don't forget Walter Mitty and his pokket-a pokket-a pokket-a.

That was the flame thrower/anesthetizer/submarine engines.

[Mighty_Girl]

I can't believe I am the first to post this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSHYlSxQyJM

[Johnny L.A.]

When I was a kid I used 'dada-dada-dada' for a machinegun, or else used my breath to 'vibrate' my tongue against my front teeth and roof of my mouth whilst making a tone. This produced something similar to the 'dada-dada-dada' sound, but 'breathier'. I'd finish with an '-ow!' I don't remember how I imitated single gunshots. There was a much younger kid in the neighbourhood who imitated gunshots by saying 'Pew!' We thought he was weird.

Nowadays, having fired many guns, I say 'pop', which imitates the 'sharp' sound of a gunshot.

[Peanuthead]

Originally Posted by Fear Itself

That was the flame thrower/anesthetizer/submarine engines.

It's been a long time since high school.

[terentii]

Originally Posted by Fear Itself

Sgt. Rock's machine gun always went, "budda-budda-budda"

And German Schmeissers went "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp!"

And Japanese machine guns went "Takka! Takka!"

American rifles went "Pow!" or "Crack!"

German and Japanese rifles went "Krak!" (They had accents, I guess.)

It was Tommy guns that went "Budda!" Big .50 cals. went "Rat-tat-tat!"

And WWI machine guns went "Tok! Tok! Tok!"

This was in DC war comics, but I don't think Sgt. Fury comics (Marvel) were much different.

[Peter Morris]

Originally Posted by winnerin2009

well, i'm not an english native speaker, so i'm just very interested with this onomatopoeia. i can tell you the equivalence form in chinese is a sound like "pieu".

This is the sort gun sound you're thinking of, right? (click the white arrow to play)


In English it's often written as peow or pyow.

[BigT]

The problem I have with pieu is that the eu sound is a small sound. If I heard that used in English, I would assume a small gun.