# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/21 "2003-08-21T01:48:22Z")
In Brazilian (and probably European) Portuguese, it sounds like “aye!” (as in Spanish or French). My girlfriend (who is Brazilian) makes fun of the way Americans say “ouch,” which sounds completely unrealistic to her. I think I usually say “ow” myself… But if it really hurts, she’ll unleash a string of Portuguese profanities, which are quite impressive. ---
**Author:** ![sirenkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@sirenkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirenkiller)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/22 "2003-08-21T02:16:35Z")
IN China, in most places we say"Aiyao" or"Aiya" , it is varies a little around different area! ---
**Author:** ![sirenkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@sirenkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirenkiller)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/23 "2003-08-21T02:16:58Z")
IN China, in most places we say"Aiyao" or"Aiya" , it is varies a little around different areas! ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/24 "2003-08-21T02:27:29Z")
In Tagalog (Philippines) it’s “aray.” I’d explain how to pronounce it but I don’t want to trouble myself. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![habs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@habs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/habs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/25 "2003-08-21T03:37:47Z")
In Hungarian, it’s “jaj!” Pronounced “ya iy”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sanja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@sanja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sanja)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/26 "2003-08-21T03:58:04Z")
when the pain is caused by getting burned, it’s “ah-cheee” in japanese. it’s an exclamatory variant of “atsui” which means hot. and if it’s your fingertips that got burned, you grab your earlobes to cool them down. ---
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/27 "2003-08-21T12:23:48Z")
The strange thing is, when you speak a foreign language, you tend to pick up their way of saying ‘ouch’ too. After six months or so of living in France, I found myself automatically saying ‘aïe’ rather than ‘ow’. ---
**Author:** ![quarrossimo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@quarrossimo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quarrossimo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/28 "2003-08-21T12:26:08Z")
Tamil: aiyo ---
**Author:** ![ElectroSunDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@ElectroSunDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectroSunDog)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/29 "2003-08-21T12:30:58Z")
From what I’m getting, it seems to be the same bunch of words, only with differnt accents. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/30 "2003-08-21T14:24:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hokkaido Brit \* > \*\*A previous poster said that the Japanese say “Itai!” They do, and when it REALLY hurts, they go “I------taitaitaitaitaitai!” Which is rather cute. \*\* My wife does this all the time and it always makes me laugh to hear her say it (much to her consternation)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/31 "2003-08-21T15:16:27Z")
Mancunian: f%&k b@$£&%d t£@&ting c&@t, or words to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/32 "2003-08-21T15:53:53Z")
Classical Greek: popoi UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![adnan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@adnan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adnan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/33 "2003-08-21T16:07:24Z")
In Bangladesh people generally say “eesh” or “oof” in the region my family originates ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/34 "2003-08-21T17:10:34Z")
In Brazil : EyEeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/35 "2003-08-22T22:51:44Z")
In Polish it’s _oj_ pronounced “oy”. ---
**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 23, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/36 "2003-08-23T00:41:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Classical Greek: popoi How was THIS datum uncovered? Written on an urn somewhere? (“What does the inscription say?” “It says, ‘Beauty is truth, truth-- _popoi!_ F&\*%ing chisel slipped!’” “Truth is pain?” "Look, if the chisel had slipped, he wouldn’t bother to WRITE ‘aaargh’, he’d just SAY ‘aaargh’. “Maybe he was dictating.”) Seriously, I’d like to know. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/37 "2003-08-23T02:12:22Z")
Anybody know how people say “wow” in other languages? My cousin’s husband is Italian (they live in Florence), and when he sees something impressive he says “ooh la la!” It’s the cutest thing. I don’t know if that’s characteristic of all Italians, or just him. ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/38 "2003-08-23T05:25:03Z")
hijack: so what does “oy vey” mean? ---
**Author:** ![universe.zip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@universe.zip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/universe.zip)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/39 "2003-08-23T09:49:37Z")
Finnish: Ai! (pronounced like “I”) or, when it really hurts: aijaijaijaijai! This is certainly interesting… I don´t know of any other interjection that´s so similar in so many languages. ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439/40 "2003-08-24T13:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Nightsky \* > \*\*How was THIS datum uncovered? Written on an urn somewhere? (“What does the inscription say?” "It says, 'Beauty is truth, truth-- popoi! F&_%ing chisel slipped!’" “Truth is pain?” "Look, if the chisel had slipped, he wouldn’t bother to WRITE ‘aaargh’, he’d just SAY ‘aaargh’. “Maybe he was dictating.”) > > Seriously, I’d like to know. Thanks. \*\* You know, the Greeks wrote a lot of drama. A person hurting themselves in a comedy might shout “ouch!” to the mirth of the audience. Indeed, it’s from Aristophanes’ Clouds that we know how Greeks wrote the sound of farting. UnuMondo [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-say-ouch-in-other-languages/196439.md?page=3)