ouch

English

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838 (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch, perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjection are from Pennsylvania. However, others say the interjection is a "mere" or "natural" exclamation attested since the mid 1600s, and the 1933 OED cites one instance of a verb "ouch" in 1654, "Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊtʃ/
• Rhymes: -aʊtʃ

• Audio (US-Inland North):

  (file)

Interjection

ouch

1. An expression of one's own physical pain.

   Ouch! You stepped on my toe! That hurt!

2. An expression in sympathy at another's pain.

   Ouch! Her sunburn looks awful.

3. A reply to an insult (frequently one that is tongue-in-cheek or joking).

   Ouch. How could you say that?

4. An expression of disappointment.

   Ouch, I really wanted to do that.

5. (slang) Expressing surprise at the high price of something.

   Ouch, one hundred thousand dollars for a car! I could never afford that!

Synonyms

• (in all of the above senses): ow, owie, youch, yow, yowch

Translations

expression of one's own physical pain

• Afrikaans: eina (af)
• Arabic: حِلْيَة (ḥilya)

  Hijazi Arabic: أي (ay), أح (aḥ), آخ (āḵ)

• Armenian: ախ (hy) (ax), վախ (hy) (vax)
• Breton: aiou (br)
• Bulgarian: ох (oh)
• Catalan: au (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏲ (ayo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哎喲／哎哟 (zh), 哎哟 (zh) (āiyō), 哎呀 (zh) (āiyā)

• Czech: au (cs)
• Danish: av (da)
• Deg Xinag: Aiiau de
• Dutch: au (nl)
• Esperanto: aj (eo), uj (eo)
• Finnish: ai (fi), au (fi), auts (fi), auh!, aijai
• French: aïe (fr), ouille (fr)
• German: au (de), aua (de), autsch (de)
• Ghotuo: ouxh a
• Greek: αχ (el) (ach), ωχ (el) (och)
• Hebrew: אח (he)
• Hungarian: jaj (hu)
• Ido: aye (io)
• Indonesian: aduh (id)
• Italian: ahi, ahia
• Japanese: 痛い (ja) (itai), いて (ite), いてて (itete)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kimaragang: odoi
• Korean: 아야 (ko) (aya)
• Lakota: yúŋ
• Latin: au (la)
• Malay:

  Jawi: ادوه

  Rumi: aduh (ms)

• Maori: taukahore
• Navajo: ayáo, ayáh
• Norwegian: au (no)
• Ojibwe: iyoo
• Pashto: وخ (wax), وئ (wëy)
• Persian: آخ (fa) (âx), آی (fa) (ây)
• Polish: aua (pl), au (pl), auć (pl)
• Portuguese: ai (pt), au (pt)
• Romanian: ai (ro), au (ro), ah (ro), vai (ro), aoleu (ro)
• Russian: ой (ru) (oj), ай (ru) (aj), ох (ru) (ox), а́уч (áuč) (neologism)
• Serbo-Croatian: au (sh), auć, joj (sh), jao (sh)
• Spanish: ay (es), uy (es)
• Swedish: aj (sv)
• Tagalog: aray, aruy, aguy, ay (tl)
• Tamil: ஐயோ (ta) (aiyō)
• Telugu: అభా (abhā)
• Thai: อุ๊ย (th) (úi), อุ๊ยตาย (úi-dtaai), โอ๊ย (th) (ói)
• Uokha: ouxh
• Vietnamese: úi da, ai da, ui da, úi chà (vi), ối chà (vi), đau (vi)
• Yup'ik: akekataki

expression in sympathy at another’s pain

• Finnish: auts (fi), auh, oi voi, oijoi, voi voi
• French: aïe (fr)
• Greek: αχ (el) (ach)
• Malay:

  Jawi: ادوه / ادوي / وادوه

  Rumi: aduh (ms) / adoi / waduh

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: au da, uff da
• Pashto: وخ (wax), وئ (wëy)
• Swedish: aj (sv), aj aj aj, aj då

reply to an insult

• Ahirani: Ay, aÿe
• Finnish: auts (fi), auh
• French: aïe (fr)
• Malay:

  Jawi: ادوه / ادوي / وادوه

  Rumi: aduh (ms) / adoi / waduh

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Pashto: وخ (wax), وئ (wëy)
• Swedish: aj (sv)

Etymology 2

Variant forms.

Noun

ouch (plural ouches)

1. Alternative form of ouche

Anagrams

• Chou, Chūō, chou

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uʃ/

Interjection

ouch

1. interjection expressing a sharp pain: ouch!

Synonyms

• (expression of pain): aïe, ahi, ouille, ayoye (Quebec)