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Sounds & Interjections

How sounds, interjections and expressive words work in Spanish, English and Chinese.

Compare languages

Onomatopoeia and interjections vary enormously across languages. Animal sounds, exclamations, and hesitation markers are culturally specific. Chinese has a rich system of onomatopoeic characters and interjective particles.

Overview

Sounds and interjections are among the most culturally variable elements of language.

Spanish: Rich interjection system. Animal sounds often have more syllables than English. Regional variation is significant. Fillers include este, pues, o sea.
English: Moderate onomatopoeia. Interjections range from mild (gosh, gee) to strong (damn, hell). Fillers (um, uh, like, you know) are stigmatized in formal speech.
Chinese: Extensive onomatopoeic characters. Interjective particles modify sentence tone. Many characters exist solely for sound representation.

Spanish

Animal sounds

Animal	Spanish	English
dog	guau guau	woof woof
cat	miau	meow
rooster	quiquiriquí	cock-a-doodle-doo
pig	oink / gruñido	oink
cow	mu	moo
sheep	bee	baa
duck	cuac cuac	quack quack
horse	hiiii	neigh
bird	pío pío	tweet tweet
frog	croac	ribbit

Interjections

Interjection	Meaning	Context
¡Ah!	Ah!	realization
¡Ay!	Oh! / Ouch!	pain, surprise
¡Uy!	Oops! / Whoa!	surprise, warning
¡Vaya!	Wow! / Well!	surprise
¡Ostras!	Gosh!	surprise (mild, Spain)
¡Caramba!	Good heavens!	surprise
¡Olé!	Bravo!	encouragement
¡Bravo!	Bravo!	applause
¡Vale!	Okay!	agreement
¡Venga!	Come on!	encouragement / dismissal
¡Hala!	Wow!	surprise (varies by region)
¡Chico/a!	Boy/girl!	address, mild reprimand
¡Ojo!	Watch out!	warning
¡Cuidado!	Careful!	warning

Fillers (muletillas)

Filler	Usage
este / esto	hesitation (like “um”)
pues	well, so
o sea	that is, I mean
en plan	like, sort of (youth)
tipo / tipo que	like (Latin American youth)
bueno	well
mira	look
es que	it’s just that

Expressions of pain

¡Ay! (general pain)
¡Ay, ay, ay! (intense pain)
¡Uy, uy, uy! (discomfort)
¡Hostia! (Spain, vulgar)
¡Carajo! (Latin America, vulgar)

English

Animal sounds

Animal	English
dog	woof woof / bow wow / arf arf
cat	meow / purr
rooster	cock-a-doodle-doo
pig	oink oink
cow	moo
sheep	baa
duck	quack quack
horse	neigh / whinny
bird	tweet tweet / chirp chirp
frog	ribbit
bee	buzz
snake	hiss
lion	roar

Interjections

Interjection	Meaning	Register
Oh!	surprise, realization	neutral
Ah!	realization	neutral
Wow!	amazement	neutral
Oops!	mistake	neutral
Uh-oh!	trouble	neutral
Yikes!	fear	informal
Yuck!	disgust	informal
Yum!	delicious	informal
Phew!	relief	informal
Brr!	cold	informal
Aww!	sympathy, cuteness	informal
Eww!	disgust	informal
Huh?	confusion	informal
Hmm.	thinking	informal
Mm-hmm.	agreement	informal
Uh-uh.	disagreement	informal

Fillers

Filler	Usage	Stigma
um / uh / er	hesitation	mild (formal)
like	approximation	high
you know	seeking agreement	moderate
I mean	clarification	mild
actually	emphasis	mild
basically	simplification	moderate
literally	intensifier (often misused)	high
so	transition	mild
well	hesitation	none

Expressions of pain

Ouch! / Ow! (general pain)
Owie! (childish)
Yow! / Yeow! (sharp pain)
Oof! (impact)

Chinese

Animal sounds

Animal	Chinese	Pinyin
dog	汪wāng汪wāng	wāng wāng
cat	喵miāo	miāo
rooster	喔wō喔wō啼tí	wō wō tí
pig	呼hū噜lu噜lu	hū lu lu
cow	哞mōu	mōu
sheep	咩miē	miē
duck	嘎gā嘎gā	gā gā
horse	嘶sī	sī
bird	叽jī叽jī喳zhā喳zhā	jī jī zhā zhā
frog	呱guā呱guā	guā guā
bee	嗡wēng嗡wēng	wēng wēng

Sound words (拟nǐ声shēng词cí)

Sound	Chinese	Pinyin
knock	咚dōng咚dōng	dōng dōng
doorbell	丁dīng咚dōng	dīng dōng
splash	哗huā啦lā	huā lā
boom	轰hōng隆lóng	hōng lōng
crash	砰pēng	pēng
click	咔kā嗒dā	kā dā
whisper	悉xī悉xī索suǒ索suǒ	xī xī suǒ suǒ
giggle	嘻xī嘻xī	xī xī

Interjections

Interjection	Pinyin	Meaning
啊ā	ā	ah, oh
哎呀āiyā	āiyā	oh my, oops
哎哟āiyō	āiyō	ouch, ow
哇wā	wā	wow
天哪tiānna	tiānna	oh my god
讨厌tǎoyàn	tǎoyàn	annoying, ugh
好吧hǎoba	hǎoba	alright, okay
算了suànle	suànle	forget it, never mind
加油jiāyóu	jiāyóu	go for it
拜托bàituō	bàituō	please, come on
恭喜gōngxǐ	gōngxǐ	congratulations

Fillers

Filler	Pinyin	Usage
嗯en	en	um, uh (thinking)
那个nàge	nàge	that one (hesitation)
就是jiùshì	jiùshì	that is, um
然后ránhòu	ránhòu	then (transition)
所以suǒyǐ	suǒyǐ	so
那么nàme	nàme	well, then
呃e	e	uh (hesitation)

Tone-bearing interjections

Chinese interjections change meaning with tone:

啊ā (first tone): surprise, realization
啊á (second tone): question, doubt
啊ǎ (third tone): surprise, response
啊à (fourth tone): understanding, agreement

Exclamatory particles

Particle	Tone	Effect
吧ba	neutral	suggestion
啊a	variable	emotion
呀ya	variable	softening
哪na	variable	exclamation
啦la	variable	change of state
喽lou	variable	obviousness
呗bei	variable	resignation
嘛ma	variable	obviousness

Comparison at a glance

Feature	Spanish	English	Chinese
Animal sounds	guau, miau	woof, meow	汪wāng汪wāng, 喵miāo
Pain expressions	¡Ay!, ¡Uy!	Ouch!, Ow!	哎āi哟yō！
Surprise	¡Vaya!, ¡Caramba!	Wow!, Gosh!	哇wā！, 天tiān哪nǎ！
Agreement	¡Vale!, ¡Claro!	Okay!, Sure!	好hǎo吧bā, 嗯ňg
Disagreement	No, ¡Qué va!	No, Uh-uh	不bù, 不bù是shì
Hesitation	este, pues	um, uh	嗯ňg, 那nà个gè
Encouragement	¡Venga!, ¡Olé!	Go!, You got this!	加jiā油yóu！
Relief	¡Uf!	Phew!	幸xìng好hǎo
Vulgar pain	¡Hostia!, ¡Carajo!	Damn!, Shit!	靠kào！, 他tā妈mā的de
Tone in interjections	No	No	Yes (four tones of 啊ā)

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
¡Ay!	Ouch!	哎āi哟yō！
¡Vaya!	Wow!	哇wā！
¡Venga!	Come on!	加jiā油yóu！

Common mistakes

Using English sounds in other languages: The dog says woof → In Spanish class, the dog says guau
Translating interjections literally: ¡Ay! expresses pain, but Oh! in English is more surprise
Chinese speakers learning English: Using 嗯ňg excessively: Um, I think um… → reduce fillers in formal speech
English speakers learning Chinese: Not using 啊ā/呀yā/吧bā appropriately: these particles are essential for natural Chinese

Idiomatic Phrases: How idioms relate to expressive language
Particles: How Chinese particles express tone
Formal vs Informal: How register affects interjection choice
Imperatives: How commands relate to encouragement interjections

Examples

Dog barking

guau guau

Cat meowing

miau

Rooster crowing

quiquiriquí

Knocking

toc toc

Ah! (realization)

¡Ah! / ¡Vaya!

Uh (hesitation)

eh / este / pues

Wow! (surprise)

¡Vaya! / ¡Ostras! / ¡Guau!

Ouch! (pain)

¡Ay! / ¡Uy!

Examples

Dog barking

woof woof / bow wow

Cat meowing

meow

Rooster crowing

cock-a-doodle-doo

Knocking

knock knock

Ah! (realization)

Oh! / Ah!

Uh (hesitation)

um / uh / er

Wow! (surprise)

Wow! / Geez! / Gosh!

Ouch! (pain)

Ouch! / Ow!

Examples

Dog barking

汪wāng汪wāng

Cat meowing

喵miāo

Rooster crowing

喔ō喔ō啼tí

Knocking

咚dōng咚dōng

Ah! (realization)

啊ā！ / 哦ó！

Uh (hesitation)

嗯ňg / 那nà个gè

Wow! (surprise)

哇wā！ / 天tiān哪nǎ！

Ouch! (pain)

哎āi哟yō！ / 疼téng！

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
Dog barking	guau guau	woof woof / bow wow	汪wāng汪wāng
Cat meowing	miau	meow	喵miāo
Rooster crowing	quiquiriquí	cock-a-doodle-doo	喔ō喔ō啼tí
Knocking	toc toc	knock knock	咚dōng咚dōng
Ah! (realization)	¡Ah! / ¡Vaya!	Oh! / Ah!	啊ā！ / 哦ó！
Uh (hesitation)	eh / este / pues	um / uh / er	嗯ňg / 那nà个gè
Wow! (surprise)	¡Vaya! / ¡Ostras! / ¡Guau!	Wow! / Geez! / Gosh!	哇wā！ / 天tiān哪nǎ！
Ouch! (pain)	¡Ay! / ¡Uy!	Ouch! / Ow!	哎āi哟yō！ / 疼téng！

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
Dog barking	guau guau	woof woof / bow wow	汪wāng汪wāng
Cat meowing	miau	meow	喵miāo
Rooster crowing	quiquiriquí	cock-a-doodle-doo	喔ō喔ō啼tí
Knocking	toc toc	knock knock	咚dōng咚dōng
Ah! (realization)	¡Ah! / ¡Vaya!	Oh! / Ah!	啊ā！ / 哦ó！
Uh (hesitation)	eh / este / pues	um / uh / er	嗯ňg / 那nà个gè
Wow! (surprise)	¡Vaya! / ¡Ostras! / ¡Guau!	Wow! / Geez! / Gosh!	哇wā！ / 天tiān哪nǎ！
Ouch! (pain)	¡Ay! / ¡Uy!	Ouch! / Ow!	哎āi哟yō！ / 疼téng！

Examples in context

Dog barking

Spanish

guau guau

English

woof woof / bow wow

Chinese

汪wāng汪wāng

Cat meowing

Spanish

miau

English

meow

Chinese

喵miāo

Rooster crowing

Spanish

quiquiriquí

English

cock-a-doodle-doo

Chinese

喔ō喔ō啼tí

Knocking

Spanish

toc toc

English

knock knock

Chinese

咚dōng咚dōng

Ah! (realization)

Spanish

¡Ah! / ¡Vaya!

English

Oh! / Ah!

Chinese

啊ā！ / 哦ó！

Uh (hesitation)

Spanish

eh / este / pues

English

um / uh / er

Chinese

嗯ňg / 那nà个gè

Wow! (surprise)

Spanish

¡Vaya! / ¡Ostras! / ¡Guau!

English

Wow! / Geez! / Gosh!

Chinese

哇wā！ / 天tiān哪nǎ！

Ouch! (pain)

Spanish

¡Ay! / ¡Uy!

English

Ouch! / Ow!

Chinese

哎āi哟yō！ / 疼téng！

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Rich interjection system. Animal sounds often have more syllables than English. Regional variation is significant. Fillers include este, pue

English: Moderate onomatopoeia. Interjections range from mild (gosh, gee) to strong (damn, hell). Fillers (um, uh, like, you know) are stigmatized in

Chinese: Extensive onomatopoeic characters. Interjective particles modify sentence tone. Many characters exist solely for sound representation.

Key concepts compared: Dog barking, Cat meowing, Rooster crowing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do the same animals 'sound' different in Spanish, English, and Chinese?

Onomatopoeia is not an acoustic recording but a phonological interpretation shaped by a language's sound inventory. English 'woof woof' uses the labial /w/ and back vowel /ʊ/. Spanish 'guau guau' frames the bark with a glide /gw/ and diphthong /au/. Chinese <ruby>汪<rt>wāng</rt></ruby><ruby>汪<rt>wāng</rt></ruby> uses a nasal coda /ŋ/ that English and Spanish lack. A rooster crows 'cock-a-doodle-doo' in English, *quiquiriquí* in Spanish, and <ruby>喔<rt>ō</rt></ruby><ruby>喔<rt>ō</rt></ruby><ruby>啼<rt>tí</rt></ruby> in Chinese. Learners who use their native animal sound in a foreign language sound childlike or confused: an English speaker saying 'woof' in China will not be understood.

How do Chinese onomatopoeic characters differ from Spanish and English spelling conventions?

Chinese has a dedicated set of characters whose sole function is to represent sounds: <ruby>汪<rt>wāng</rt></ruby> (dog bark), <ruby>喵<rt>miāo</rt></ruby> (cat meow), <ruby>咚<rt>dōng</rt></ruby> (knocking), <ruby>砰<rt>pēng</rt></ruby> (bang). These characters are not used in ordinary words. Spanish and English write onomatopoeia with ordinary spelling: 'woof,' *guau.* This means Chinese onomatopoeia is visually distinct in text, while Spanish and English blends into normal orthography. A Chinese speaker learning English may expect a special visual marker for onomatopoeia and will not find one. An English speaker learning Chinese must learn an additional set of characters that exist only for sound representation.

Why are hesitation fillers like 'um' and <ruby>那<rt>nà</rt></ruby><ruby>个<rt>gè</rt></ruby> so difficult to use naturally in a second language?

Fillers are the most subconscious element of speech. An English speaker hesitating in Spanish will unconsciously say 'um' instead of *este* or *pues*. A Chinese speaker hesitating in English will say <ruby>那<rt>nà</rt></ruby><ruby>个<rt>gè</rt></ruby> (nàge) instead of 'um.' These slips are invisible to the speaker but immediately mark them as non-native. Moreover, each language stigmatizes fillers differently: English 'like' and 'you know' are criticized in formal contexts, while Chinese <ruby>那<rt>nà</rt></ruby><ruby>个<rt>gè</rt></ruby> is acceptable in casual speech. Learners must replace their native filler reflex with a target-language filler reflex, which is one of the hardest automatic behaviors to reprogram.

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

Animal sounds

Interjections

Fillers (muletillas)

Expressions of pain

English

Animal sounds

Interjections

Fillers

Expressions of pain

Chinese

Animal sounds

Sound words (拟nǐ声shēng词cí)

Interjections

Fillers

Tone-bearing interjections

Exclamatory particles

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