uau
The Romanian way to say wow is uau.
uau is used to express surprise, amazement or admiration, just like in English.
Meaning: amazement (intj)
Which one should you use?
While uau is the phonetic loan from English, you might also encounter other ways to express amazement. For example, Incredibil de tare! can be used to mean "Incredibly cool!" and Minunat! translates to "Wonderful!"
Did you know?
- The exclamation Aoleu! is a much more traditional way to express shock or surprise than the modern 'uau', and it can also be used to express sudden pain or even regret.
- In Romanian, the word tare, which literally means 'hard' or 'strong', is frequently used as a slang intensifier to mean 'cool' or 'great' when reacting to something amazing.
- Because uau is a direct phonetic loan, its pronunciation in Romanian is almost identical to the English version, making it a rare example of a perfectly 'naturalized' English interjection.
Examples in context
- Uau, este picant!Wow, that's spicy!This sentence shows how to use uau to react to something spicy.Tatoeba #13626623 by Ioana_Dobre, translation #13625683 by CK
- Uau, l-ai lovit cu piciorul!Wow, you kicked him!This sentence shows how to use uau to react to a physical action.Tatoeba #12111854 by carlosalberto, translation #12111841 by carlosalberto
- Uau, ce priveliște frumoasă!Wow, what a beautiful view!
Example conversation
Elena and Stefan are standing on a balcony looking at the sunset.
- ElenaUau, este absolut incredibil!Wow, it is absolutely incredible!
- StefanDa, e un moment special.Yes, it is a special moment.
- ElenaNu am văzut așa ceva.I have never seen anything like it.
- StefanMă bucur că îți place, Elena.I am glad you like it, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wow” translations and entries uau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
