August 17, 2018
Onomatopeias sound like words they are describing like meow, crash, bam, etc. in English. When onomatopoeias are translated, sometimes the words aren’t mimicked the same way. In English, when we say splat, French say plouf. Here’s a couple of onomatopoeias from languages around the world:Gunshot
In English, we use words like “Bam”, “Boom”, or “Pow” to convey the sound of a gun being shot. In French, “Boum” and “Pan” are used, “Bum” and “Pum” are used in Italian, and “Ba-Bakh” and “Pif-paf” are used in Russian. Pain
When someone gets hurt, in English someone will yell “Ouch!” In French, a person would scream “Aie!” In German, someone would use “Au” or “Autsch” when they are in pain. Sound of a train
In English, we say “chugga chugga choo choo”. Koreans use “chik chik pok pok”. Koreans say “chik chik pok pok (칙칙폭폭)”.Sneezing
In English, we say “Achoo!” when we sneeze. In German, they say “hatschu”, “atiesjoe” in Afrikaans, and hapčí in Slovak. Munching
When someone is eating food, in English we use “nom nom”. In German, they use “mampf mampf”. What onomatopoeias from around the world are your favorite? Comment below and share with us. Tags:
foreign languages,
Onomatopoeias