Crik, crok, and how to say "ow!" in Italian

One of the things that perplexed me when I first moved to Italy, is that not even sounds are quite the same. When I say "sounds" I mean those instinctive expressions of surprise, pain, or happiness that I had thought would be international.

The Italian word for "booboo" might be "bua", but I expected that any kid who suffered a minor hurt would still shout out "ow!" or "ouch!" regardless of culture or language. To me the verbal response to pain shouldn't be a voluntary reaction.

But, as I discover more and more frequently here, I was wrong. (Switching cultures is one of life's more humbling experiences.)


When AmoreMio stubs his toe, he does not cry out "ouch!" but instead shouts "Aye!"

Like a pirate.

"Aye aye captain!"

And this sound isn't limited to pain. If Mamma drops a pan unexpectedly she shouts a surprised "Aye!"

And the weirdest thing is that I've started doing it too.

Once I realized that Italians said "ow" differently, I modified my previous convictions to "OK, these sounds are culturally taught... But then they are ingrained for life."

Once again, wrong.

It has been years since I have said "ow" or "ouch". But I am now a fluent "Aye!"-er.

And there are also other sound translations.

Frogs don't "ribbit ribbit", they "cra cra"

Food isn't "yummy", it's "gnam gnam"

And chips don't "crunch", they "crik crok". Thus justifying the above picture of a chip truck.