úi da
The English word "ouch" can be translated into Vietnamese as úi da. If unsure, use úi da. Wiktionary also lists ai da and ui da.
Meaning: expression of one’s own physical pain (intj)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| úi da | |
| ai da | [ʔaːj˧˧ zaː˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| ui da | [ʔuj˧˧ zaː˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔuj˧˧ jaː˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
The phrase is used as an interjection to express sudden, sharp physical pain.
Which one should you use?
The variation ái da is a common alternative used to express the same sudden physical pain. The form ui da is also a variant of the expression.
Did you know?
- While úi da is often used for physical pain, the word da is also the standard Vietnamese word for 'skin'.
- While úi da is a common way to say 'ouch', the second word da shares a Proto-Vietic root with the Muong Bi word ta.
- While úi da expresses a sudden shock of pain, Vietnamese speakers often use the word đau to describe the actual sensation of pain. The two are used in entirely different syntactic positions.
Examples in context
- Đau quá!It hurts too much!
- Á! Tôi vừa ngãOuch! I just fell.
- Úi da, đau quá!Ouch, it hurts so much!
- Úi da, chân tôi bị đau.Ouch, my leg hurts.
- Úi da, nóng quá!Ouch, it's too hot!
Example conversation
Mai accidentally steps on Nam's foot.
- NamÚi da, Mai đạp vào chân tôi rồi!Ouch, Mai stepped on my foot!
- MaiÔi, tôi xin lỗi Nam nhé!Oh, I am sorry, Nam!
- NamKhông sao, nhưng mà đau thật đấy.It's okay, but it really hurt.
- MaiTôi sẽ cẩn thận hơn.I will be more careful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ouch” translations and entries ui da, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ai, da) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ai, da, CC BY-SA 4.0.
