au

See also: Appendix:Variations of "au"

Languages (63)

Translingual • English

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Alemannic German • Antigua and Barbuda Creole English • Aragonese • Arin • Bandial • Big Nambas • Catalan • Cia-Cia • Cimbrian • Czech • Dutch • Esperanto • Estonian • Fijian • Finnish • French • Galo • German • Gusilay • Hawaiian • Hiri Motu • Hokkien • Iban • Icelandic • Japanese • Jola-Kasa • Kedang • Kiowa • Kott • Latin • Makasar • Malay • Māori • Middle English • Miskito • Mizo • Mokilese • Niuean • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old French • Old Irish • Polish • Portuguese • Rapa Nui • Romanian • Swahili • Tahitian • Tày • Ternate • Tetum • Tidore • Tobati • Tokelauan • Tongan • Tunggare • Tuvaluan • Vietnamese • West Makian • Western Apache • Zhuang

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Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

au

1. IAU recommended unit symbol for astronomical unit

Usage notes

• IAU bodies, such as the Minor Planet Center, themselves frequently use AU instead of "au".

Synonyms

• ua (BIPM recommendation for the unit symbol of astronomical unit)
• ㍳ (Unicode glyph for astronomical unit)

English

Noun

au (plural au)

1. Abbreviation of atomic unit.
2. Abbreviation of arbitrary unit.
3. Abbreviation of astronomical unit.
4. Abbreviation of Absorbance Units.

Noun

au

1. A vowel found in Indic abugidas.

   Synonym: letter au

Anagrams

• U/A, UA, uA

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

• ou

Etymology

From Old High German ouh, from Proto-Germanic *auk. Cognate with German auch, Dutch ook, English eke, Swedish och.

Pronunciation

• (Zürich) IPA^(key): /æʊ/

Adverb

au

1. also, too

Antigua and Barbuda Creole English

Alternative forms

• hau

Etymology

From English how.

Adverb

au

1. how

Aragonese

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin au (“oh! ow! oh dear! goodness gracious!”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯/
• Rhymes: -au̯
• Syllabification: au

Interjection

au

1. now, let's go (as an incitement to action or to a decision)

   Synonym: aire

2. ouch (expression of one's own physical pain)

   Synonyms: ai, ah, oh, holio, conyo, conye, sinyor

3. aha (expression of incredulity or doubt)

   Synonyms: au-va, araba, ah, va

4. please (when asking for something in a familiar tone)

   Synonyms: per favor, au va

Etymology 2

From Latin avis, avem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯/
• Rhymes: -au̯
• Syllabification: au

Noun

au f (plural aus)

1. bird

References

• “ave”, in Aragonario, diccionario castellano–aragonés (in Spanish)
• Gramatica basica de l'aragonés (2017)

Arin

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *ɯgʌ (“male (of animals)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aju/ ~ /u/

Noun

au (plural unknown)

1. roe deer, male deer

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *aw (“thou”, second person singular personal pronoun), derived from Proto-Yeniseian *Ha- (generic personal pronoun base) + Proto-Yeniseian *-w (second person singular pronoun formant).

Not directly related to the etymology below.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aju/ ~ /u/

Pronoun

au

1. thou (second person singular personal pronoun)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *Hadu (“he”, third person masculine-class singular personal pronoun).

Not directly related to the etymology above.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /*aʔu/, /xatu/

Pronoun

au ~ chatu

1. he (third person masculine-class singular personal pronoun)

Usage notes

• Recorded by Heinrich J. von Klaproth as chatu (xatu).

Further reading

• Toporov, Vladimir Nikolajevich (1968), “Материалы к срабнительно-исторической фонетике Енисейских языков. 1. Аринско-Енисейские соответствия”, in Ivanov, Vjacheslav Vselodovich, Toporov, Vladimir Nikolajevich, Uspenskij, Boris Andreevich, editors, Кетский Сборник 1: Лингвистика, Moscow: Nauka, pages 286-287
• Werner, Heinrich (2002), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2005), Die Jenissej-Sprachen des 18. Jahrhunderts (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz KG, →ISBN, page 155

Bandial

Pronoun

au

1. you (second person singular independent pronoun)

References

• 2025, Friederike Lüpke, The Oxford Guide to the Atlantic Languages of West Africa, page 25: lists these independent 2sg pronouns: Fogny aw, Banjal au, Gusilay au, Kasa au, Keerak aw, Kwaatay awe, Karon awe, Bayot ab
• 2010, Guillaume Segerer, Some Hypotheses About Possible Isolates within the Atlantic Branch of the Niger-Congo Phylum: lists these independent 2sg pronouns: Kwaatay awe, Fogny aw, Kasa au, Banjal au, Bayot ab

Big Nambas

Interjection

au

1. yes

   Au, ip'as!

   Yes, alright!

References

• Fox, G.J. (1979), Big Nambas Grammar (Pacific Linguistics; B-60)‎^[5], Canberra, ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, →ISBN, page 112

Further reading

• Dodd, R.R. (2014), V’ënen Taut: Grammatical topics in the Big Nambas language of Malekula‎^[6], Hamilton, New Zealand: University of Waikato

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈaw]

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aw

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin au (“oh! ow! oh dear! goodness gracious!”).

Interjection

au

1. now (as an incitement to action or to a decision)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin avis, avem, from Proto-Italic *awis (“bird”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwis (“bird”).

Noun

au f (plural aus)

2. bird

   Synonym: ocell

Related terms

• ocell

Further reading

• “au”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “au”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “au” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “au”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Cia-Cia

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *asu, from Proto-Austronesian *asu.

Noun

au (Hangul spelling 아우)

1. dog (animal)

References

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*asu”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Cimbrian

Etymology

The sense “north” may be reinforced by or a semantic loan from Venetan: vago su a Trénto (“I go north to Trento”, literally “I go up to Trento”). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Adverb

au (Sette Comuni)

1. up, upwards

   au un abe ― up and down

   Au in de pèrghe machelts khalt

   Up in the mountains it is cold.

2. north, up north

   Ich ghéa au kan Triin.

   I'm going up north to Trento.

Antonyms

• abe, abar

Derived terms

• au, au
• denàu
• ghéenan au naach
• haltan au

References

• “au” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈau̯]

Interjection

au

1. ouch

   Synonym: auvajs

Dutch

Alternative forms

• auw

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑu̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: au
• Rhymes: -ɑu̯

Interjection

au

1. ouch!

   Au, ja dat doet pijn! ― Ouch, yeah that hurts!

Descendants

• Negerhollands: au, o
• Petjo: aoew

Esperanto

Conjunction

au

1. H-system spelling of aŭ

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *auvo, itself possibly from Proto-Germanic *auja-, compare Old Norse ey (“luck, heavenly aid”) and Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌹- (awi-) in 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (awiliuþ). Cognate to Finnish auvo and Livonian o’v. Possibly related to the verb avama.

Noun

au (genitive au, partitive au)

1. honour/honor, respect

Declension

Declension of au (ÕS type 26/koi, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		au	aud
accusative	nom.
	gen.	au
genitive			aude
partitive		au	ausid
illative		ausse	audesse
inessive		aus	audes
elative		aust	audest
allative		aule	audele
adessive		aul	audel
ablative		ault	audelt
translative		auks	audeks
terminative		auni	audeni
essive		auna	audena
abessive		auta	audeta
comitative		auga	audega

Derived terms

• aus

Compounds

• auhind
• aupaklik
• ausõna
• autasu
• meheau
• mundriau

Fijian

Alternative forms

• 'u (Colo East, Namosi)

Etymology

From Proto-Central Pacific *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (1st person singular subject pronoun)

   Au sa lako.

   I am going.

2. me (1st person singular object pronoun)

   E raici au ko Jone.

   John sees me.

Usage notes

• As the subject of a sentence, it can be expanded to oi au or o yau.
• When preceded by a vowel, it may become yau:

  Raica e dua vei keirau, o Seru se o yau.

  See one of us two [exclusive], either Seru or me.

• Following the particles me or ni, it is abbreviated as meu and niu, sometimes written as me'u and ni'u.

See also

Fijian personal pronouns

				singular	dual	paucal	plural
1st person				au	keirau (exclusive) kedaru (inclusive)	keitou (exclusive) kedatou (inclusive)	keimami (exclusive) keda (inclusive)
2nd person				ko (subject) iko (object)	kemudrau	kemudou	kemuni
3rd person				ko koya (subject) koya (subject/object)	rau	iratou	ira

References

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “au”, in Fijian–English Dictionary‎^[7], Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 9

Finnish

Etymology

Natural.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑu̯/, [ˈɑ̝u̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑu
• Syllabification^(key): au
• Hyphenation^(key): au

Interjection

au

1. ow, ouch

Synonyms

• ai
• auts

Further reading

• “au”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[8] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Anagrams

• -ua

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /o/

  • Audio (Paris):

    (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -o
• Homophones: aulx, aux, eau, eaux, haut, hauts, ho, o, ô, oh, os

Contraction

au (used with a singular masculine noun)

1. contraction of à +‎ le, literally “to the, for the, at the”

   Synonym: à le — Louisiana

   Il étudie la musique au conservatoire.

   He studies music at the conservatory.

See also

• à la
• à l'
• aux

Further reading

• “au”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• ua

Galo

Etymology

From Proto-Tani *fu.

Noun

au

1. grease, fat, oil

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Interjection

au

1. ouch, ow (expression of one's own physical pain)

Synonyms

• autsch, aua

Further reading

• “au” in Duden online
• “au”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[9] (in German)

Gusilay

Pronoun

au

1. you (second person singular independent pronoun)

References

• 2025, Friederike Lüpke, The Oxford Guide to the Atlantic Languages of West Africa, page 25: lists these independent 2sg pronouns: Fogny aw, Banjal au, Gusilay au, Kasa au, Keerak aw, Kwaatay awe, Karon awe, Bayot ab

Hawaiian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *au, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *au, from Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Central Pacific *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku. Cognates include Māori aku and Samoan aʻu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯/, [ˈɐw], (rapid speech) [ˈɔw]

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)

Usage notes

• Unlike other personal pronouns, au has a separate object form aʻu.

Synonyms

• wau

See also

Hawaiian personal pronouns

	singular	dual	plural
1st person	au, wau	māua (exclusive) kāua (inclusive)	mākou (exclusive) kākou (inclusive)
2nd person	ʻoe	ʻolua	ʻoukou
3rd person	ia, ʻo ia	lāua	lākou

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qau, from Proto-Central Pacific *qau, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀus, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus (“current, flow”). Cognates include Māori au and Tongan ʻau.

Noun

au

1. era, period of time
2. current (water)
3. movement

Derived terms

• aumiki (“rip current”)

Verb

au

1. (intransitive) to flow
2. (intransitive) to move

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel H. (1986), “au”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN

Hiri Motu

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian *kaSiw.

Noun

au

1. tree

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of au – see 漚 (“to soak for a prolonged period of time; to steep; to suppress one's feelings for a long time; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 漚).

For pronunciation and definitions of au – see 甌 (“cup”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 甌).

Iban

Interjection

au

1. yes

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈœiː]

Interjection

au

1. An exclamation of awe and surprise; wow.

   Synonyms: nau, vá

Japanese

Romanization

au

1. Rōmaji transcription of あう

Jola-Kasa

Pronoun

au

1. you (second person singular independent pronoun)

References

• 2025, Friederike Lüpke, The Oxford Guide to the Atlantic Languages of West Africa, page 25: lists these independent 2sg pronouns: Fogny aw, Banjal au, Gusilay au, Kasa au, Keerak aw, Kwaatay awe, Karon awe, Bayot ab
• 2010, Guillaume Segerer, Some Hypotheses About Possible Isolates within the Atlantic Branch of the Niger-Congo Phylum: lists these independent 2sg pronouns: Kwaatay awe, Fogny aw, Kasa au, Banjal au, Bayot ab

Kedang

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *asu, from Proto-Austronesian *asu.

Noun

au

1. dog (animal)

References

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*asu”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI
• Ursula Samely; Robert H. Barnes (2013), A Dictionary of the Kedang Language, Leiden: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 75

Kiowa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ/

Letter

au (upper case Au)

1. A letter of the Kiowa alphabet.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ai ai, Au au, Aui aui, B̶ b̶, B b, D̶ d̶, D d, E e, G̶ g̶, G g, H h, I i, K k, Kʼ kʼ, L l, M m, N n, 𝽎, O o, Oi oi, P p, Pʼ pʼ, S s, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ui ui, W w, Y y, Z z, ꞉

Kott

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *aw (“you”, second person singular personal pronoun), derived from Proto-Yeniseian *Ha- (generic personal pronoun base) + Proto-Yeniseian *-w (second person singular pronoun formant).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /u/ ~ /aju/

Pronoun

au

1. thou (second-person singular personal pronoun)

Further reading

• Matthias Alexander Castrén, Versuch Einer Jenissei-Ostjakischen Und Kottischen Sprachlehre: Nebst Aus Den Genannten Sprachen, St. Petersburg: Leopold Voss Publisher, 1858, page 195
• Werner, Heinrich (2002), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen, volume 2, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 318
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2003), Röhrborn, Klaus, Schellbach-Kopra, Ingrid, editors, M. A. Castrén und die Jenissejistik: Die Jennisej-Sprachen des 19. Jahrhunderts (Veröffentlichungen des Societas Uralo-Altaica; 62) (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 118
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2005), Die Jenissej-Sprachen des 18. Jahrhunderts (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz KG, →ISBN, page 107

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈau̯]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaːu̯]

Interjection

au

1. alternative form of hau (“expressing pain or grief; oh! ah!”)

References

• “au”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “au”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “au”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Makasar

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qabu, from Proto-Austronesian *qabu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau/, [ˈa.u]
• Hyphenation: a‧u

Noun

au (Lontara spelling ᨕᨕᨘ or 𑻱𑻲𑻴, definite aua)

1. ash; soot

   Pakemi au akkesoʼ panne ― Use ash to scrub the plate.

   Au pallu ― Hearth ash.

Derived terms

compounds

• pattambungang au

Further reading

• Cense, A. A. (1979), Makassaars-Nederlands woordenboek [Makasar-Dutch dictionary], 's-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Malay

Pronunciation

• (Etymology 1) IPA^(key): [a.u]
  • Rhymes: -u
  • Hyphenation: a‧u
• (Etymology 2) IPA^(key): [au̯]
  • Rhymes: -au̯
  • Hyphenation: au

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Austronesian *au₂.

Interjection

au (Jawi spelling اءو)

1. (Brunei, Sarawak) Used to express affirmation; yes.

   Synonyms: ya, haah, ia

Etymology 2

From English ouch.

Interjection

au (Jawi spelling او)

1. Used to express pain; ouch.

   Synonyms: aduh, adoi, waduh

See also

• Au

Further reading

• "au" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "au" at PRPM first version)

Māori

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau/ [ˈɐʉ]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *au, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *au, from Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Central Pacific *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Samoan aʻu.

Alternative forms

• ahau

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
   • 2021, “Titokowaru”, performed by Alien Weaponry:

     Ka pīrangi au te kikokiko pākehā

     I crave the flesh of the Pakeha (white man)

2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)

See also

Māori personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au, ahau	māua (exclusive) tāua (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	kōrua	koutou
3rd person			ia	rāua	rātou

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qau, from Proto-Central Pacific *qau, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀus, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus (“current, flow”). Cognates include Hawaiian au and Tongan ʻau.

Noun

au

1. current (water)

   Synonyms: kato, āwai, ia

2. whirlpool; rapid

   Synonym: ripo

3. wake (of a canoe, etc.)
4. sea; ocean

   Synonyms: tai, moana

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *qahu, from Proto-Central Pacific *qacu, from Proto-Oceanic *qasu (“gall, gall bladder”), from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qasu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qasu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qasu. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Tongan ʻahu.

Noun

au

1. gall; gall bladder

   Synonym: kouawai

Etymology 4

From Proto-Polynesian *qahu, from Proto-Central Pacific *qacu, from Proto-Oceanic *qasu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qasu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qasu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qasu (“smoke, fume, steam”). Cognates include Tahitian au, Tongan ʻahu and Samoan ʻasu.

Noun

au

1. smoke

   Synonyms: auahi, paoa

2. cloud

   Synonyms: ao, kapua

3. mist; fog

   Synonyms: haumaringi, kohu

Etymology 5

From Proto-Polynesian *(q)au (“howl, bark”).

Verb

au

1. to howl, bark (of a dog)

Further reading

• Williams, Herbert William (1917), “au”, in A Dictionary of the Maori Language, 5th edition, Wellington, N.Z.: Marcus F. Marks, page 4
• John C. Moorfield (2011), “au”, in Te Aka: Māori–English, English–Māori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, →ISBN

Middle English

Noun

au

1. alternative form of awe

Miskito

Particle

au

1. yes

Antonyms

• apia

Mizo

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ʔaaw.

Verb

au

1. to shout

Further reading

• Lorrain, J. Herbert (1940), “au”, in Dictionary of the Lushai language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society

Mokilese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau/, [ˈaw]

Noun

au

1. mouth

Possessive forms

Possessive forms of au (tightly inalienable)

singular possessor	first person		oawoaioa
	second person		oawoamwen
	third person		oawoa
dual possessors	first person inclusive		oawoasa
	first person exclusive		oawoama
	second person		oawoamwa
	third person		oawoara
plural possessors	first person inclusive		oawoasai
	first person exclusive		oawoamai
	second person		oawoamwai
	third person		oawoarai
remote plural possessors	first person inclusive		oawoahs
	first person exclusive		oawoami
	second person		oawoamwi
	third person		oawoahr
construct form			oawoan

Derived terms

• koapin au (“chin”)

References

• Harrison, Sheldon P.; Albert, Salich Y. (1977), Mokilese-English Dictionary‎^[10], Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 4

Niuean

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Niuean personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au	maua (exclusive) taua (inclusive)	mautolu (exclusive) tautolu (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	mua	mutolu
3rd person			ia	laua	lautolu

References

• Wolfgang B. Sperlich, editor (1997), Tohi Vagahau Niue—Niue Language Dictionary‎^[11], Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, pages 52-53

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æʉ̯/, [æʉ̯]
• Rhymes: -æʉ̯
• Hyphenation: au

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse auk (“also, too”), preserved in Norwegian dialects, from Proto-Germanic *auk (“also, too”). In modern Bokmål, au is chiefly a dialectal form corresponding to òg (“also, too”) and også (“also, too”).

The further origin of the Proto-Germanic form is uncertain. It has been analysed as *h₂ew (“away, again”) + *ge (“intensifier”), while *h₂ewg- has also been compared.

Cognate with Icelandic auk, Faroese og, Swedish ock, Danish og, Dutch ook, German auch, and English eke.

Adverb

au

1. (dialectal) also, too; in addition, as well

   Synonyms: òg, også

   • 1928, Henrik Wergeland, Samlede Skrifter, volume IV,6, page 78:

     byen au!

     in town too!

   • 1897, Sigbjørn Obstfelder, De røde dråber:

     fattigmand kan nok au

     a poor man can too

   • 1936, Nordahl Grieg, Men imorgen –, page 70:

     du au!

     you too!

   • 1952, Torborg Nedreaas, De varme hendene, page 11:

     går det au

     that works too

   • 1979, Erling Pedersen, Arven, page 42:

     faen au

     damn it too

   • 1994, Atle Næss, Østre linje, page 322:

     i dag au

     today too

   • 1993, Knut Faldbakken, Ormens år, page 149:

     Skitt au.

     Oh well.

   • 1997, Morten Jørgensen, Kongen av København, page 68:

     skitt au

     what the hell

Derived terms

• skitt au (“oh well; what the hell”)

Etymology 2

Of onomatopoeic origin, imitating a spontaneous cry produced in response to physical pain or an unpleasant surprise.

Compare similar vocalizations Swedish au, Dutch au, German au, Danish av, Old Norse aufi, and Latin au; compare also hau.

Interjection

au

1. (onomatopoeia) ouch, ow; an exclamation expressing physical pain

   Au, jeg stakk meg! ― Ouch, I pricked myself!

   • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 11:

     Au, au

     Ouch, ouch.

   • 1997, Morten Jørgensen, Kongen av København, page 94:

     au!

     ouch!

   • 1999, Tonje Røed, Ferie, page 61:

     Au!

     Ouch!

2. (onomatopoeia) oh, ouch; an exclamation expressing unpleasant surprise, disappointment, or dismay

   Au da, var det så mange feil? ― Oh no, were there that many mistakes?

   • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter, volume I, page 416:

     au, der er han

     oh, there he is

   • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter, volume I, page 69:

     au! det gik galt!

     oh! that went wrong!

   • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, De unges forbund, page 20:

     au, au, au!

     oh, oh, oh!

   • 1995, Øivind Hånes, Faste måltider, page 79:

     Au, au

     Oh, oh.

   au da — used especially in response to an unpleasant surprise, disappointment, mishap, or other unfortunate circumstance

   • 1851, Hanna Winsnes, For Tjenestepiger, page 78:

     Au da

     Oh dear.

   • 2000, Kari Bøge, For alt jeg vet, page 301:

     Au da

     Oh dear.

Derived terms

• aue (“to say “ouch”; to moan or complain in pain”)

Etymology 3

Nominalization of au (interjection).

Noun

au n (definite singular auet, indefinite plural au, definite plural aua or auene)

1. ouch; a cry or sound expressing physical pain

   Et kraftig au. ― A loud “ouch”.

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

au

1. imperative of aue (“to say “ouch”; to moan or complain in pain”)

References

• “au” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “au” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /œʊː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse auk.

Adverb

au

2. also, too

Synonyms

• òg
• ogso
• også

Etymology 2

Interjection

au!

2. ouch!

Etymology 3

Verb

au

1. imperative of aua

References

• “au” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Alternative forms

• al

Contraction

au

1. contraction of a +‎ le, literally “to the”

Old Irish

Noun

au

1. alternative spelling of áu (“ear”)

Mutation

Mutation of au

radical	lenition	nasalization
au (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	au	n-au

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Polish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaw/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aw
• Syllabification: au

Interjection

au

1. ouch (expression of one's own physical pain)

   Synonyms: aua, auć

Further reading

• “au”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[12] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “au”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[13] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• ai

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw/ [ˈaʊ̯]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈaw/

• Rhymes: -aw
• Hyphenation: au

Interjection

au

1. ouch (expression of minor physical pain)

See also

• au au

Further reading

• “au”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Māori au.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau/
• Rhymes: -au
• Hyphenation: a‧u

Pronoun

au

1. I, me
   • 1995, Rapanui: A descriptive grammar‎^[14], page 153:

     Ko tikea 'a e au te moai nui nui ...

     I have seen a big statue.

     Note: This source does not show non-ambiguous glottal stops.

See also

Rapa Nui personal pronouns

independent	singular	dual	plural
1st person	au	māua (exclusive) tāua (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person	koe	kōrua
3rd person	ia	rāua

References

• “au”, in Diccionario etimológico Rapanui-Español, Valparaíso: Comisión para la Estructuración de la Lengua Rapanui, 2000, →ISBN
• Veronica Du Feu (1996), Rapanui (Descriptive Grammars), Routledge, →ISBN, page 140
• Paulus Kieviet (2017), A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[15], Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 140

Romanian

Alternative forms

• aŭ — old orthography

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aw/

Etymology 1

Probably from a Vulgar Latin *habunt, as a conjugated form of Latin habeō.

Verb

au

1. third-person plural present indicative of avea

   (they) have

Verb

au

1. (ele/ei) au (modal auxiliary, third-person plural form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

   (they) have (+ past participle)

Related terms

• am
• ai
• a
• ați

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin aut.

Conjunction

au

1. (rare, regional, archaic) or
   • 1883, Luceafărul, Mihai Eminescu, 149-152:

     Dar cum ai vrea să mă cobor?
     Au nu-nțelegi tu oare,
     Cum că eu sunt nemuritor,
     Și tu ești muritoare?

     But how would I descend to thee?
     Or don't you understand,
     That I am immortal
     And thou a mortal art?

Synonyms

• sau, ori

Adverb

au

1. (interrogative, rhetorical) well?, (now) really?

Synonyms

• oare

Swahili

Other scripts
Ajami	اَوُ

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic أَو (ʔaw).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Conjunction

au

1. or

   Synonym: ama

   • 18th century, Abdallah bin Ali bin Nasir, Al-Inkishafi‎^[16], translation from R. Allen (1946), “Inkishafi—a translation from the Swahili”, in African Studies, volume 5, number 4, →DOI, pages 243–249, stanza 15:

     اَوُ اِغَ فُمْبِ لَمُوَاغَزَ ، وَقَتِ وَيُوَ لِكِتُپُوْزَ

     Au enga vumbi la-muangaza, waqati wa-yua likitupuza;

     Or when the sun shines, see the mote in its ray

Tahitian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Tahitian personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au, vau	māua (exclusive) tāua (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person			ʻoe	ʻōrua	ʻoutou
3rd person			ʻoia, ʻona	rāua	rātou

Etymology 2

Verb

au

1. to sew

Tày

Alternative forms

• âu

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *ʔawᴬ (“to take”). Cognate with Northern Thai ᩐᩣ, Lao ເອົາ (ē ʼ), Lü ᦀᧁ (˙ʼaw), Tai Dam ꪹꪮꪱ, Shan ဢဝ် (ʼǎo), Ahom 𑜒𑜧 (ʼaw) or 𑜒𑜧𑜈𑜫 (ʼaww) or 𑜒𑜨𑜧 (ʼow), Zhuang aeu, Thai เอา (ao).

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˧˧]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˦˥]

Verb

au (Nôm form 㓜)

1. to take; to seize; to receive

   au chèn ― to seize money

2. to marry

   au căn ― to marry each other

Derived terms

• au châư
• au làng
• au lường

References

• Lương Bèn (2011), Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎^[17][18] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[19] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]
• Léopold Michel Cadière (1910), Dictionnaire Tày-Annamite-Français [Tày-Vietnamese-French Dictionary]‎^[20] (in French), Hanoi: Impressions d'Extrême-Orient

Ternate

Etymology

From Proto-North Halmahera *aun (“blood”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.u/

Noun

au

1. blood

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Tetum

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qauʀ, compare Indonesian aur.

Noun

au

1. bamboo

Tidore

Etymology

From Proto-North Halmahera *aun (“blood”).

Noun

au

1. blood

Tobati

Tobati cardinal numbers

<  3	4	5  >
Cardinal : au

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *pat, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *əpat. Compare Sobei fau, Bonggo fau, Tarpia pau.

Numeral

au

1. four

Further reading

• Buku Ajar Bahasa Tobati Bagi Pemula [Tobati Language Guide for Beginners] (in Indonesian), Jayapura: Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Kota Jayapura, 2018

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.u]
• Hyphenation: a‧u

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Samoan a'u.

Pronoun

au

1. I, me

See also

Tokelauan personal pronouns

independent	singular	dual		plural
		long	short
1st person (exclusive)	au, kita1	ki māua	ki mā	ki mātou
1st person (inclusive)	―	ki tāua	ki tā	ki tātou
2nd person	koe	koulua		koutou
3rd person	ia	ki lāua	ki lā	ki lātou
agentive clitic	singular	dual		plural
1st person (exclusive)	kō	ki mā		ki mātou
1st person (inclusive)	―	ki tā		ki tātou
2nd person	kē	koulua		koutou
3rd person	ia	ki lā		ki lātou

¹⁾ Sympathetic
Pronouns preceded by ki may drop this preposition when in a possessive phrase.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *-u. Cognates include Hawaiian āu and Samoan āu.

Determiner

au

1. (alienable) thy, your

See also

Tokelauan possessive determiners

Definite inalienable (O-type)
		singular reference				plural reference
		sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
			long	short			long	short
1st person	excl.	toku, tota1	to māua	to mā	to mātou	oku, ota1	o māua	o mā	o mātou
	incl.	―	to tāua	to tā	to tātou	―	o tāua	o tā	o tātou
2nd person		tō	toulua		toutou	ō	oulua		outou
3rd person		tona	to lāua	to lā	to lātou	ona	o lāua	o lā	o lātou
Definite alienable (A-type)
		singular reference				plural reference
		sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
			long	short			long	short
1st person	excl.	taku, tata1	ta māua	ta mā	ta mātou	aku, ata1	a māua	a mā	a mātou
	incl.	―	ta tāua	ta tā	ta tātou	―	a tāua	a tā	a tātou
2nd person		tau	taulua		tautou	au	aulua		autou
3rd person		tana	ta lāua	ta lā	ta lātou	ana	a lāua	a lā	a lātou
Indefinite inalienable (O-type)
		singular reference				plural reference
		sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
			long	short			long	short
1st person	excl.	hoku, hota1	ho māua	ho mā	ho mātou	ni oku, ni ota1	ni o māua	ni o mā	ni o mātou
	incl.	―	ho tāua	ho tā	ho tātou	―	ni o tāua	ni o tā	ni o tātou
2nd person		hō	houlua		houtou	ni ō	ni oulua		ni outou
3rd person		hona	ho lāua	ho lā	ho lātou	ni ona	ni o lāua	ni o lā	ni o lātou
Indefinite alienable (A-type)
		singular reference				plural reference
		sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
			long	short			long	short
1st person	excl.	haku, hata1	ha māua	ha mā	ha mātou	ni aku, ni ata1	ni a māua	ni a mā	ni a mātou
	incl.	―	ha tāua	ha tā	ha tātou	―	ni a tāua	ni a tā	ni a tātou
2nd person		hau	haulua		hautou	ni au	ni aulua		ni autou
3rd person		hana	ha lāua	ha lā	ha lātou	ni ana	ni a lāua	ni a lā	ni a lātou

¹⁾ Sympathetic

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *aqu. Cognates include Tongan aʻu and Samoan au.

Verb

au

1. (intransitive, + ki) to reach
2. (stative) to be matured at birth

Etymology 4

From Proto-Polynesian *qau. Cognats include Hawaiian au and Māori au.

Noun

au

1. current, flow (of water)

Etymology 5

From Proto-Polynesian *qahu. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Samoan au.

Noun

au

1. gall, bile
2. gall bladder

Etymology 6

From Proto-Polynesian *hau. Cognates include Māori au and Samoan au.

Noun

au

1. needle for thatching
2. comb of needles for tattooing

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[21], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 3

Tongan

Alternative forms

• ou

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.u/

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

Tunggare

Noun

au

1. sun

References

• Bill Palmer, editor (2018), The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area, Berlin: de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 517

Tuvaluan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Tuvaluan personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au, aku	maaua (exclusive) taaua (inclusive)	maatou (exclusive) taatou (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	koulua	koutou
3rd person			ia, a ia	laaua	laatou

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔa(ː)w˧˧]

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

Adjective

au

1. (of color, usually red) bright, lively

Further reading

• Hồ Ngọc Đức, editor (2003), “au”, in Việt–Việt‎^[22] (DICT), Leipzig: Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details), archived from the original on 12 November 2024

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.u/

Verb

au

1. (transitive) to climb, ascend

   taau to pu ― I climb the mountain

2. (intransitive, of the moon) to rise

Conjugation

Conjugation of au (action verb)

		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		taau	maau	aau
2nd person		naau	faau
3rd person	inanimate	iau	daau
	animate
imperative		naau, au	faau, au

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[23], Pacific linguistics (as aw)
• James Collins (1982), Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary‎^[24], Pacific linguistics

Western Apache

Particle

au

1. yes

Zhuang

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *ʔaːwᴬ (“father's younger brother”). Cognate with Thai อาว (aao), Ahom 𑜒𑜧 (`ao), Lao ອາວ (ʼāo) and Tày áo.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /ʔaːu˨˦/
• Tone numbers: au¹
• Hyphenation: au

Noun

au (Sawndip forms 𰠍 or 傲 or ⿰𫠤处 or ⿰男要 or 嗷 or 敖 or 奧 or 𬽱 or ⿰父教 or 𬿪, 1957–1982 spelling au)

1. uncle (father's younger brother)

See also

• lungz
• baj
• gux