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Interjections

How Spanish, English and Chinese use exclamatory words to express emotion.

Compare languages

Interjections are words or expressions that convey emotion without grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence. English and Spanish use many similar exclamations. Chinese uses interjections and sentence-final particles for emotion.

Overview

Interjections are exclamatory words that express emotion independently of sentence grammar.

Spanish: Uses ¡! around interjections. Many interjections are shared with or borrowed from English (ouch, wow). Regional variation is rich.
English: Highly productive interjection system. Includes primary interjections (ouch, wow, shh) and secondary interjections derived from other word classes (damn, heavens, goodness).
Chinese: Uses interjection characters that are also tonal. Often combines with sentence-final particles (啊ā, 呀yā, 呢ne) to express nuanced emotion.

Spanish

Primary interjections

Interjection	Meaning	Example
¡Ay!	pain, regret	¡Ay! Me duele.
¡Oh!	surprise	¡Oh! No lo sabía.
¡Eh!	attention, hey	¡Eh! Tú, ven aquí.
¡Vaya!	surprise	¡Vaya! Qué sorpresa.
¡Ojo!	watch out	¡Ojo! con el coche.
¡Bravo!	approval	¡Bravo! Muy bien.
¡Olé!	celebration	¡Olé! por el torero.
¡Hurra!	celebration	¡Hurra! Ganamos.
¡Bah!	dismissal	¡Bah! No me importa.
¡Puf!	effort/exhaustion	¡Puf! Qué calor.
¡Chss!	silence	¡Chss! Estoy escuchando.
¡Puaj! / ¡Ugh!	disgust	¡Puaj! Qué asco.

Secondary interjections

Words from other categories used as interjections:

¡Dios! (God!)
¡Cielos! (Heavens!)
¡Diablos! (Devils! — dammit)
¡Vamos! (Come on!)
¡Anda! (Go on! / Really!)
¡Hombre! (Man! / Come on!)
¡Caray! (Gosh!)
¡Caramba! (Goodness!)

Exclamatory phrases

¡Qué bonito! (How beautiful!)
¡Qué lástima! (What a shame!)
¡Qué horror! (How awful!)

Borrowed interjections

¡Wow! / ¡Guau!
¡Oops! / ¡Uy!
¡Yeah!

English

Primary interjections

Interjection	Meaning	Example
Ouch! / Ow!	pain	Ouch! That hurt!
Wow!	surprise	Wow! That’s amazing!
Oh!	realization	Oh! I see.
Ah!	understanding	Ah! Now I get it.
Ugh!	disgust	Ugh! That’s gross.
Yuck! / Ew!	disgust	Yuck! I hate broccoli.
Shh! / Hush!	silence	Shh! The baby’s sleeping.
Hooray! / Yay!	celebration	Yay! We won!
Boo!	scare	Boo! Did I scare you?
Aha!	discovery	Aha! So that’s where it was!
Uh-oh!	concern	Uh-oh! We’re in trouble.
Hmm…	thinking	Hmm… let me think.
Uh… / Um…	hesitation	Um… I’m not sure.
Oops! / Whoops!	mistake	Oops! I dropped it.
Phew!	relief	Phew! That was close.

Secondary interjections

Damn! / Darn! / Drat! (frustration)
Heavens! / Goodness! / Gracious! (surprise)
Man! / Boy! / Gee! (emphasis)
Great! / Perfect! (sarcasm or approval)

Multi-word interjections

Oh my God! / Oh my gosh! / OMG!
For goodness’ sake!
What the heck! / What the hell!
No way!
Come on!

Chinese

Primary interjections

Interjection	Pinyin	Meaning	Example
啊ā	ā	surprise	啊ā！真zhēn的de吗ma？
哦ó	ó	realization	哦ó！我wǒ明míng白bái了le。
嗯ňg	ńg / ňg	acknowledgment	嗯ńg，好hǎo的de。
哎āi	āi	attention/pain	哎āi！小xiǎo心xīn！
唉āi	ài	sigh	唉ài，真zhēn可kě惜xī。
哇wā	wā	amazement	哇wā！太tài厉lì害hài了le！
哟yō	yō	surprise	哟yō！你nǐ怎zěn么mó来lái了le？
嘘xū	xū	shush	嘘xū！别bié说shuō话huà。
呸pēi	pēi	disgust	呸pēi！真zhēn恶è心xīn。
哼hēng	hng	disdain	哼hng！我wǒ才cái不bù信xìn。
哈hā	hā	laughter	哈hā哈hā！

Note: Chinese interjections carry tone. Different tones express different emotions.

Interjection + sentence-final particle

Chinese often combines interjections with particles:

好hǎo棒bàng啊a！ (Great! — 啊ā softens/amplifies)
真zhēn好hǎo呀ya！ (Really good!)
太tài好hǎo了le！ (Great! — 了le marks change)

Exclamatory phrases

太tài好hǎo了le！ (Wonderful!)
可kě惜xī！ (What a pity!)
厉lì害hài！ (Awesome!)
万wàn岁suì！ (Hooray!)

Borrowed interjections

哇wā塞sāi (wāsài) — from Taiwanese Hokkien, “wow”
哦ó耶yé (ōyé) — “oh yeah”
耶yé (yé) — “yay”

Comparison at a glance

Emotion	Spanish	English	Chinese
Pain	¡Ay!	Ouch! / Ow!	哎āi哟yō！
Surprise	¡Oh! / ¡Vaya!	Oh! / Wow!	哇wā！/ 哦ó！
Disgust	¡Puaj! / ¡Ugh!	Ugh! / Yuck!	恶è心xīn！/ 呸pēi！
Silence	¡Chss!	Shh! / Hush!	嘘xū！
Celebration	¡Hurra! / ¡Olé!	Hooray! / Yay!	太tài好hǎo了le！/ 万wàn岁suì！
Sorrow	¡Ay de mí!	Alas! / Oh no!	唉āi！/ 可kě惜xī！
Hesitation	Bueno… / Pues…	Well… / Um…	嗯ňg… / 那nà个gè…
Approval	¡Bravo!	Bravo! / Well done!	好hǎo！/ 太tài棒bàng了le！

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
¡Ay! Eso dolió.	Ouch! That hurt!	哎āi哟yō！好hǎo痛tòng！
¡Vaya! / ¡Guau! Eso es increíble.	Wow! That’s amazing!	哇wā！太tài厉lì害hài了le！
¡Chss! El bebé está durmiendo.	Shh! The baby is sleeping.	嘘xū！宝bǎo宝bǎo在zài睡shuì觉jué。

Common mistakes

English speakers learning Spanish: Ouch, me duele → ¡Ay! Me duele.
Spanish speakers learning English: Ay! That hurt! → Ouch! That hurt!
English speakers learning Chinese: 哇wā without tone → 哇wā (high tone required)
Chinese speakers learning Spanish: 哦ó → ¡Oh! (not ¡O without closing mark)

Exclamations: How exclamatory sentences work
Sentence-Final Particles: How Chinese particles express modality
Formal vs Informal: How register affects exclamatory choice
Intonation: How pitch conveys emotion

Examples

Oh! (surprise)

¡Oh! / ¡Vaya!

Ouch! (pain)

¡Ay! / ¡Ouch! (loan)

Shh! (silence)

¡Chss! / ¡Silencio!

Yuck! (disgust)

¡Puaj! / ¡Qué asco!

Hooray! (celebration)

¡Hurra! / ¡Olé!

Alas! (sorrow)

¡Ay de mí! / ¡Desgraciadamente!

Well... (hesitation)

Bueno... / Pues...

Bravo! (approval)

¡Bravo! / ¡Olé!

Examples

Oh! (surprise)

Oh! / Wow!

Ouch! (pain)

Ouch! / Ow!

Shh! (silence)

Shh! / Hush!

Yuck! (disgust)

Yuck! / Ew!

Hooray! (celebration)

Hooray! / Yay! / Woohoo!

Alas! (sorrow)

Alas! / Oh no!

Well... (hesitation)

Well... / So... / Um...

Bravo! (approval)

Bravo! / Well done!

Examples

Oh! (surprise)

哦ó！ / 哇wā！

Ouch! (pain)

哎āi哟yō！ / 好hǎo痛tòng！

Shh! (silence)

嘘xū！

Yuck! (disgust)

恶è心xīn！ / 呸pēi！

Hooray! (celebration)

太tài好hǎo了le！ / 万wàn岁suì！

Alas! (sorrow)

唉āi！ / 可kě惜xī！

Well... (hesitation)

嗯ňg... / 那nà个gè...

Bravo! (approval)

好hǎo！ / 太tài棒bàng了le！

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
Oh! (surprise)	¡Oh! / ¡Vaya!	Oh! / Wow!	哦ó！ / 哇wā！
Ouch! (pain)	¡Ay! / ¡Ouch! (loan)	Ouch! / Ow!	哎āi哟yō！ / 好hǎo痛tòng！
Shh! (silence)	¡Chss! / ¡Silencio!	Shh! / Hush!	嘘xū！
Yuck! (disgust)	¡Puaj! / ¡Qué asco!	Yuck! / Ew!	恶è心xīn！ / 呸pēi！
Hooray! (celebration)	¡Hurra! / ¡Olé!	Hooray! / Yay! / Woohoo!	太tài好hǎo了le！ / 万wàn岁suì！
Alas! (sorrow)	¡Ay de mí! / ¡Desgraciadamente!	Alas! / Oh no!	唉āi！ / 可kě惜xī！
Well... (hesitation)	Bueno... / Pues...	Well... / So... / Um...	嗯ňg... / 那nà个gè...
Bravo! (approval)	¡Bravo! / ¡Olé!	Bravo! / Well done!	好hǎo！ / 太tài棒bàng了le！

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
Oh! (surprise)	¡Oh! / ¡Vaya!	Oh! / Wow!	哦ó！ / 哇wā！
Ouch! (pain)	¡Ay! / ¡Ouch! (loan)	Ouch! / Ow!	哎āi哟yō！ / 好hǎo痛tòng！
Shh! (silence)	¡Chss! / ¡Silencio!	Shh! / Hush!	嘘xū！
Yuck! (disgust)	¡Puaj! / ¡Qué asco!	Yuck! / Ew!	恶è心xīn！ / 呸pēi！
Hooray! (celebration)	¡Hurra! / ¡Olé!	Hooray! / Yay! / Woohoo!	太tài好hǎo了le！ / 万wàn岁suì！
Alas! (sorrow)	¡Ay de mí! / ¡Desgraciadamente!	Alas! / Oh no!	唉āi！ / 可kě惜xī！
Well... (hesitation)	Bueno... / Pues...	Well... / So... / Um...	嗯ňg... / 那nà个gè...
Bravo! (approval)	¡Bravo! / ¡Olé!	Bravo! / Well done!	好hǎo！ / 太tài棒bàng了le！

Examples in context

Oh! (surprise)

Spanish

¡Oh! / ¡Vaya!

English

Oh! / Wow!

Chinese

哦ó！ / 哇wā！

Ouch! (pain)

Spanish

¡Ay! / ¡Ouch! (loan)

English

Ouch! / Ow!

Chinese

哎āi哟yō！ / 好hǎo痛tòng！

Shh! (silence)

Spanish

¡Chss! / ¡Silencio!

English

Shh! / Hush!

Chinese

嘘xū！

Yuck! (disgust)

Spanish

¡Puaj! / ¡Qué asco!

English

Yuck! / Ew!

Chinese

恶è心xīn！ / 呸pēi！

Hooray! (celebration)

Spanish

¡Hurra! / ¡Olé!

English

Hooray! / Yay! / Woohoo!

Chinese

太tài好hǎo了le！ / 万wàn岁suì！

Alas! (sorrow)

Spanish

¡Ay de mí! / ¡Desgraciadamente!

English

Alas! / Oh no!

Chinese

唉āi！ / 可kě惜xī！

Well... (hesitation)

Spanish

Bueno... / Pues...

English

Well... / So... / Um...

Chinese

嗯ňg... / 那nà个gè...

Bravo! (approval)

Spanish

¡Bravo! / ¡Olé!

English

Bravo! / Well done!

Chinese

好hǎo！ / 太tài棒bàng了le！

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Uses ¡! around interjections. Many interjections are shared with or borrowed from English (ouch, wow). Regional variation is rich.

English: Highly productive interjection system. Includes primary interjections (ouch, wow, shh) and secondary interjections derived from other word c.

Chinese: Uses interjection characters that are also tonal. Often combines with sentence-final particles (啊ā, 呀yā, 呢ne) to express nuanced emotion.

Key concepts compared: Oh! (surprise), Ouch! (pain), Shh! (silence).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Chinese interjections often written with characters that are otherwise rarely used?

Chinese interjections like <ruby>哦<rt>ó</rt></ruby>, <ruby>啊<rt>ā</rt></ruby>, <ruby>嗯<rt>ēn</rt></ruby>, and <ruby>唉<rt>āi</rt></ruby> are written with characters whose sole or primary function is to represent these sounds. These characters do not appear in other words. Spanish and English interjections use normal spelling: 'oh,' 'ah,' 'wow.' The Chinese writing system dedicates specific characters to interjectional sounds, making them visually distinct in text.

How do Spanish and English differ in the acceptability of interjections in formal writing?

English allows some mild interjections in formal prose: 'Oh, I see the problem.' Spanish is more restrictive: *¡Oh!* is rare in academic or business writing. Chinese interjections are virtually absent from formal written Chinese; they belong to spoken language, fiction dialogue, and informal messages. A Spanish speaker learning English may find 'Oh' in an email too casual, while an English speaker learning Spanish may overuse *¡Vaya!* in formal contexts where it is inappropriate.

What is the difference between primary and secondary interjections?

Primary interjections serve no other function: 'ouch,' 'wow,' 'shh,' *¡uy!*, *¡bah!*, <ruby>哇<rt>wā</rt></ruby>, <ruby>唉<rt>āi</rt></ruby>. Secondary interjections are borrowed from other word classes: 'Goodness!' (from 'goodness'), 'Heavens!' (from 'heaven'), *¡Dios mío!* (from 'my God'). Chinese has fewer secondary interjections because its monosyllabic structure makes it harder to repurpose multi-syllable phrases. English and Spanish are rich in secondary interjections, which learners often use to sound more natural.

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

Primary interjections

Secondary interjections

Exclamatory phrases

Borrowed interjections

English

Primary interjections

Secondary interjections

Multi-word interjections

Chinese

Primary interjections

Interjection + sentence-final particle

Exclamatory phrases

Borrowed interjections

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References