# Expressing "Ouch!" in Different Languages **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443 "2006-07-07T01:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/1 "2006-07-07T01:00:20Z")
How is the act of getting physically hurt expressed in different languages? Being born and raised in the US, I gre up saying, “Aww!” “OUCH!” or occasionally “Aww, F\*CK!” Since I have a Latino background and spoke Spanish at home, I would hear my parents say “AY AYAY!” pronounced “EYE, YAH, EYE!” or something like that. Now, living in Japan for some time, the natives here express it as “ITAI!” (EE-TIE) or sometimes “IT-TA!” I’ve wondered why different countries have varying phrases to a reflex response. **How do you say "OUCH?"** ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/2 "2006-07-07T01:02:49Z")
In Mandarin Chinese it is “Ai-yo!” ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/3 "2006-07-07T01:42:36Z")
Back in 1980 I spent a year as a stationary engineer in a large Phoenix hospital. There was no maintenance staff on the midnight shift, so we had to fill in on emergency problems. One night I was called to unplug a drain in one of the delivery rooms. While I was working there was an hispanic woman, in labor, in the next room. I recall becoming aware of the same observation that the OP makes when hearing her repeatedly cry out “Ay, Yi, Yi”. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/4 "2006-07-07T02:00:09Z")
In Hindi it’s Aiyah! or Aha! Or Ofo! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/5 "2006-07-07T02:09:55Z")
In Punjabi it’s usually some elaborate curse. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/6 "2006-07-07T03:30:21Z")
Allowing for English transliteration, it’s “Aye-goo!” in Korean. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/7 "2006-07-07T04:45:12Z")
In french, “aïe” or “ouille”. e.g. a song by french singer Jacques Dutronc, comparing the world to a cactus: > **[UppercutMusic.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=uppercutmusic.com)** > > Friendly and helpful customer support that goes above and beyond. We help you get the perfect domain name. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/8 "2006-07-07T06:44:31Z")
I think we’re rapidly approaching some kind of consensus for “Ai” or something similar – because it’s the same in Hebrew (sometimes “Aya,” esp. younger children, or “ach”) “Ouch?” weird. Weird Americans… 😃 BTW – I know **zero** Japanese – but it almost sounds like that could be another vote for “Ay” – “Itt- _ **AY** _!” ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/9 "2006-07-07T08:33:52Z")
In German, **Au** [ow] or, with the more loquacious, **Autsch** [ouch] We’re talking about the socially-expressive vocalisations when getting hurt, right? Because the actual involuntary sound would not be any of the sounds named above, but rather some sort of grunt or moan ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/10 "2006-07-07T09:00:12Z")
I find interesting that ‘Itai’ is an actual Japanese word meaning ‘painful’. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/11 "2006-07-07T09:11:09Z")
> [@Noone Special](#): > > “Ouch?” weird. Weird Americans… 😃 Although the word “ouch” is used in certain situations, it’s more of a deliberate word, as making the “-ch” sound takes a little tonguework - the “reflex response” is much more often “Ow”. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/12 "2006-07-07T15:31:17Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > How is the act of getting physically hurt expressed in different languages? It may be in imitation of what an individual has heard when someone else hurts himself. If not a learned response it could be any expletive. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expressing-ouch-in-different-languages/363443/13 "2006-07-07T17:19:42Z")
Am I the only one who just goes “Eeeaaagh!”? In Chinese the “Aiyo” is often followed with “FA!” which is amusingly close to “fuck”. Amusing because little old ladies say it all the time and sometimes you do a double-take.