哎喲 / 哎哟
āiyō
In Chinese, 'ouch' is expressed as 哎喲 / 哎哟 (āiyō). If unsure, use 哎喲 / 哎哟. Wiktionary also lists 哎呀 (āiyā).
Meaning: expression of one’s own physical pain (intj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 哎喲 / 哎哟 | āiyō |
| 哎呀 | āiyā |
The primary expression for 'ouch' is 哎喲 / 哎哟, which is used to react to sudden physical pain or a physical shock. It can also be used when a person feels startled or overwhelmed by something. If you want to emphasize the intensity of the pain, you can use the informal phrase 真疼 (zhēn téng), which translates to 'ouch, it really hurts'.
Which one should you use?
While 哎喲 / 哎哟 is used for physical pain, the form 哎呀 is used to express different emotions such as surprise, annoyance, dismay, 'oh no', 'gosh' or 'oops'.
How do you pronounce it?
āiyō
Did you know?
- While 哎喲 typically signals pain, if spoken with a rising tone and a smile, it can be used to express playful flirtation or a teasing 'oh my' when someone is being cheeky.
- In certain regional dialects, particularly in Southern China, a long, drawn-out 哎喲 can be used to express sympathy or concern for someone else's misfortune, rather than just reacting to one's own pain.
- The character 哎 in both 哎喲 and 哎呀 is a common interjection used to grab someone's attention, similar to saying 'hey' in English.
Examples in context
- 哎呀！你没事吧？Ouch! Are you okay?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ouch” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
