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.)