Meaning 1spoken · 82%
A short exclamation used as an immediate reaction to sudden physical pain.
Natural examples
Au, du stehst auf meinem Fuß!
Ouch, you’re standing on my foot!
„Au!“, rief sie, als sie den Ellenbogen anstieß.
“Ouch!” she cried when she bumped her elbow.
Au, der Dorn hat mich in den Finger gepikst!
Ouch, that thorn pricked my finger!
Usage note
Au usually stands alone or before a sentence and never inflects. Aua and autsch are similar pain exclamations.
Mini-lesson: au
A short exclamation used as an immediate reaction to sudden physical pain. Au usually stands alone or before a sentence and never inflects. Aua and autsch are similar pain exclamations.
Check your learning
Choose one answer.Which definition matches «au»?