chu
/t͡ʃu/from spelling rules
chu is the Spanish onomatopoeia used to represent the sound of a sneeze.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃu/
Did you know?
- While chu or achís mimics the sound, some Spanish speakers believe that sneezing during a conversation means the person speaking is telling a lie.
- The spelling of the sneeze sound can vary in different Spanish-speaking countries, appearing sometimes as achís or achú instead of chu, reflecting different regional phonetic interpretations of the sound.
- While chu represents the sneeze itself, the standard response to a sneeze in Spanish is salud, which literally translates to 'health'.
Example conversation
Javier and María are sitting in a living room.
- Javier¡Chu!Achoo!
- María¡Salud, Javier!Bless you, Javier!
- JavierGracias, María.Thank you, María.
- MaríaTienes un resfriado.You have a cold.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
