# How do people say "ouch!" in other languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439 "2003-08-20T14:18:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/1 "2003-08-20T14:18:39Z")
Just a few minutes ago I was subjected to a small jolt of static shock. I flinched and said, “ouch!” I then got to thinking about how we often say this specific word when subjected to sudden, but usually minor and brief pain. Sometimes we’ll say “ow!” or “auugh!” (and in some cases, a bout of swearing may follow). Are such utterances (aside from swearing) instinctive and universal to all languages, or do we tend to learn these specific words (ouch and ow) in English as a way to respond to pain? Are there different words or utterances used in other languages that people use when they feel pain? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/2 "2003-08-20T14:34:41Z")
Pig Latin: Ouchay! ---
**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/3 "2003-08-20T14:48:30Z")
In Spanish it is Ay! (eye) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/4 "2003-08-20T14:48:44Z")
My cousins in Germany would say “ow-ah!” when pain was encountered. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/5 "2003-08-20T14:50:31Z")
My wife always says the equivilent of “there’s a small, Mexican dog,” but I’m not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![rookie523](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@rookie523](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rookie523)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/6 "2003-08-20T14:52:56Z")
I guess koreans say “Ai-ya!” ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/7 "2003-08-20T14:54:19Z")
I don’t even say “ouch!” in English. I usually just unleash a string of profanities. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/8 "2003-08-20T14:56:04Z")
Hay Chiuaua? In Vietnamese it’s OOH-yah! (spelled phonetically). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/9 "2003-08-20T14:57:38Z")
I can’t remember ever saying “ouch” in reaction to anything shocking or painful. It’s usually a variation on the Deity’s name, His Son, terms relating to reproduction or defecation, or just something along the lines of “Oww.” I have wondered the same sort of thing about language variants of interjections in general. Things like “Haha” and “Whoopee” among others. ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/10 "2003-08-20T15:00:28Z")
In South Africa, it’s Eina! (pronounce ay-na) ---
**Author:** ![Sonyadora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sonyadora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonyadora)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/11 "2003-08-20T15:00:29Z")
In Japanese it’s “itai!” Some places in Europe I’ve heard people make a noise like “oof” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/12 "2003-08-20T15:01:27Z")
Cantonese: Aiiiiiiii! ---
**Author:** ![Juggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/juggler/32/3194_2.png) [@Juggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juggler)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/13 "2003-08-20T15:07:35Z")
Swedish: “aj!” or “bork bork bork” if you cut yourself on a knife when preparing food. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/14 "2003-08-20T15:09:42Z")
In Québec French its Ayoye (pronounced A-yoy) or ouch ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/15 "2003-08-20T15:26:59Z")
NPR’s All Things Considered just did a story on this called “Ouch! The Language of Pain.” I remember hearing the start of it, but I got to my destination and had to bail. I think you can hear the report here. [http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1385022](http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1385022) ---
**Author:** ![Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/16 "2003-08-20T16:35:33Z")
In France French it’s “Aie!”, with a diuresis on the i. Pronounced roughly “eye”. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/17 "2003-08-20T17:33:53Z")
In Dutch it’s ‘au’, pronounced like a cross between ‘ouch’ and ‘ow’ (thus like ‘ouw’). Of course, with the heavy influence of U.S. movies, these days people simply say ‘shit!’. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/18 "2003-08-20T20:21:35Z")
Don’t the Germans also say ‘autsch’ (pronounced, predictably enough, exactly like ‘ouch’)? ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/19 "2003-08-20T23:06:20Z")
A previous poster said that the Japanese say “Itai!” They do, and when it REALLY hurts, they go “I------taitaitaitaitaitai!” Which is rather cute. Most English speakers would add more or less colourful swearing to help things along but you can’t swear very satisfactorily in Japanese, so you don’t get that relief. My bilingual toddler says “poorly taitai” which means he gets sympathy from both sides of the family! ---
**Author:** ![Barks\_dog\_food](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@Barks\_dog\_food](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barks_dog_food)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/20 "2003-08-21T00:05:13Z")
Norwegian: au Pronounced differently in diffferent parts of the country. When no children are around swearing is prefered by some people ( or in some parts of the country swearing is prefered even when children are around). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439.md?page=2)