phew

English

Etymology

An onomatopoeia: the sound of rapid exhalation one makes when some trying situation is over. Attested since the early seventeenth century. Compare Scots feuch or Spanish fu or Czech fuj.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fjuː/, [ɸju˥˩], [ɧu˥˩]
• Rhymes: -uː

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Interjection

phew

1. Used to show relief, fatigue, or surprise.

   Phew, that took a long time to define!

2. Used to show disgust.

   Phew, it stinks in here!

Synonyms

• (expression of disgust): See Thesaurus:yuck

Translations

Used to show relief, fatigue, or surprise

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 喲／哟 (zh), 哟 (zh) (yo)

• Czech: uf
• Dutch: oef (nl)
• Finnish: huh (fi), huhhuh
• French: pfou, ouf (fr) (relief)
• German: puh (de), pfui (de)
• Greek: ουφ (el) (ouf), φου (fou)

  Ancient: φεῦ (pheû)

• Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: püh
• Italian: uff, uffa (it) (heat, tiredness), uh (relief, surprise)
• Japanese: ふぅ (fū)
• Korean: 으쌰으쌰 (eushya eushya)
• Latin: ufa
• Navajo: hwááh
• Polish: uff (pl)
• Portuguese: ufa (pt)
• Russian: уф! (uf!), фуф (fuf), фух (ru) (fux)
• Spanish: ¡fíu!, ¡menos mal!
• Swedish: puh (sv), fy (sv)
• Vietnamese: phù (vi)

Used to show disgust

• French: pouah (fr)
• German: pfui (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: pfuj
• Spanish: puaj (es)

See also

• whew
• φεῦ (pheû)