occhio
/ˈɔk.kjo/masculine
The English word "eye" is occhio in Italian.
occhio is a masculine noun referring to the organ of sight. It can be used to describe eye color, such as occhio blu (blue eye), occhio marrone (brown eye) or occhio verde (green eye). Beyond the physical organ, it is used as an interjection to warn someone to be careful or to say "Watch out!" Relatedly, the word for eyeglasses, occhiali, is derived from this word.
Meaning: organ (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of occhio is occhi.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈɔk.kjo/.
When do people say it?
Italian speakers use the phrase fare l'occhiolino to mean "to wink," and the expression avere gli occhi di un falco to describe someone who has the eyes of a hawk.
Did you know?
- When used as a warning to mean 'watch out', occhio is often accompanied by a gesture of pointing to one's own eye with an index finger.
- The English word 'eye' and the Italian word occhio are distant cousins, both descending from the same Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to see'.
- The word occhi is used in the phrase chiudere un occhio, which means to turn a blind eye or overlook a mistake.
Examples in context
- Questo è un occhio.This is an eye.This sentence is useful for identifying a single occhio.Tatoeba #3020104 by Guybrush88, translation #1761979 by Dejo
- Ho aperto un occhio.I opened one eye.This sentence is useful for describing the action of opening one occhio.Tatoeba #3596380 by ema_rega, translation #2439688 by Hybrid
- Ho chiuso un occhio.I closed one eye.This sentence is useful for describing the action of closing one occhio.Tatoeba #6055714 by Guybrush88, translation #5858549 by CK
- Mi scusi, qual è il colore dei suoi occhi?Excuse me, what color are your eyes?
- 138 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara notices something in Alessandro's eye.
- ChiaraHai qualcosa nell'occhio, Alessandro.You have something in your eye, Alessandro.
- AlessandroDavvero? Dove esattamente?Really? Where exactly?
- ChiaraNell'occhio destro, resta fermo.In your right eye, stay still.
- AlessandroGrazie, Chiara, ora non sento più nulla.Thanks, Chiara, I don't feel anything now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eye” translations and entries occhio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries occhio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
