Sneezes of the World

Good day to you all.

An onomatopoeia is the creation of words that imitate natural sounds.

For example, in English the sound snakes makes is called a “hiss”. Why? Because to us, that’s what it sounds like!

The word “onomatopoeia” comes from the combination of two Greek words: one meaning “name” and the other meaning “I make,” so onomatopoeia literally means “the name (or sound) I make.”

Many onomatopoeic words have come to mean other things related to the sounds they make. ‘Slap,’ for instance, not only means the sound that is made by skin hitting skin, but also the action of hitting someone (usually on the face) with an open hand. ‘Rustle’ is the sound of papers brushing together, but it also indicates the action of someone moving papers around and causing them to brush together, thus making this noise.

Ok, now we all understand what an onomatopoeia is, we wanted to ask all of you to share your countries sounds with us! Below is a short list of the sneeze sounds we have from all around the world. In the UK we say “atchoo”, but as you can see, in Japan the sound is “hakushon”!

We love these little differences that make languages the most beautiful thing ever. Tell us your favourite onomatopoeia’s from your language and let’s all have some fun!