아야
aya[a̠ja̠]
The Korean word for "ow" is 아야 (aya).
아야 is an exclamation used to express sudden physical pain.
How do you pronounce it?
aya
Did you know?
- When a child falls, an adult might say 아야 했어? which translates to 'Did you do an ow?' This treats the exclamation 아야 as a noun representing the act of getting hurt.
- In Korean children's songs and stories, 아야 is frequently paired with the action of blowing on a wound, often accompanied by the sound 후후.
- In many Korean webtoons and comics, the sound effect for a sudden hit or pain is often written as 악 instead of 아야.
Examples in context
- 아야 아프다!Ow, that hurts!This sentence is useful for learning how to express that something hurts using 아야.
- 아야, 발가락을 찧었어.Aya, balgarageul jjijeosseo.Ow, I stubbed my toe.
- 아야! 갑자기 너무 아파요.Aya! Gapjagi neomu apayo.Ow! It suddenly hurts so much.
Example conversation
Hyunwoo and Jieun are walking in the park when Jieun accidentally trips.
- 지은 Ji-eun아야! 무릎을 부딪혔어.Aya! Mureupeul budichyeosseo.Ow! I bumped my knee.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo지은 씨, 괜찮아요?Jieun ssi, gwaenchannayo?Jieun, are you okay?
- 지은 Ji-eun조금 아프지만 괜찮아요.Jogeum apeujiman gwaenchanayo.It hurts a little, but I'm okay.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo정말 다행이에요.Jeongmal dahaengieyo.I'm so relieved.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 아야, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
