オエッ
oe
In Japanese, the English expression "ew" is expressed as オエッ (oe).
オエッ is an onomatopoeic expression used to mimic the sound of someone gagging or being physically nauseated.
Meaning: expression of disgust or nausea (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The small ッ at the end indicates a sudden, clipped stop, which emphasizes the abruptness of the disgust.
How do you pronounce it?
oe
Did you know?
- The sound of オエッ can also be used in Japanese to express an overwhelming, 'nauseatingly' intense emotion, such as being overwhelmed by too much sweetness or excessive sentimentality.
- While オエッ mimics a gag, Japanese speakers often use the phrase キモい to express a social or aesthetic 'ew' without implying physical nausea.
- In Japanese, expressions of physical disgust like オエッ are categorized as onomatopoeia, a linguistic category that is much more extensive and integrated into daily speech than in English.
Examples in context
- オエッ、この臭い、やばい。Oe, kono nioi, yabai.Ew, this smell is terrible.
- オエッ、気持ち悪いものを見ちゃった。Oe, kimochi warui mono o michatta.Ew, I saw something gross.
- オエッ、食べ物の残りカスがすごい。Oe, tabemono no nokari kasu ga sugoi.Ew, there are so many food scraps.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are walking through a narrow alleyway.
- 陽太 Yota美咲、何してるの？Misaki, nani shiteru no?Misaki, what are you doing?
- 美咲 Misakiオエッ、ゴミ箱の横、すごく臭いよ。Oe, gomibako no yoko, sugoku kusai yo.Ew, it smells really bad next to the trash can.
- 陽太 Yota本当だ、これはちょっとキツイね。Hontou da, kore wa chotto kitsui ne.You're right, this is a bit much.
- 美咲 Misaki早くここを通り抜けよう。Hayaku koko o toorinukeyou.Let's get through here quickly.
