Translation guide
Japanese expressions for sudden pain, equivalent to English 'ouch!'
Express a sudden, sharp pain like stubbing a toe or getting a paper cut.
The most common and natural exclamation for sudden pain. A clipped form of 痛い (itai).
Ouch! I cut my finger.
The full adjective form, also used as an exclamation. Slightly more emphatic or drawn out.
痛い！足をぶつけた。
Ouch! I bumped my foot.
A more casual, masculine-sounding variant of 痛っ. Common in informal speech.
いてっ！釘を踏んだ。
Ouch! I stepped on a nail.
A variant with an extra 'a' sound, often used for a slightly more dramatic or surprised reaction.
あいたっ！熱い鍋に触っちゃった。
Ouch! I accidentally touched the hot pot.
React to pain caused by something hot or cold.
Used specifically for pain from heat, like touching a hot surface. From 熱い (atsui).
熱っ！やかんが熱い。
Ouch! The kettle is hot.
Used for a shock of cold pain, like touching ice. From 冷たい (tsumetai). Less common than 熱っ.
冷たっ！氷で指が痛い。
Ouch! The ice hurts my finger.
Express a sympathetic 'ouch' when seeing someone else get hurt.
Literally 'looks painful'. Used when observing someone else's injury or painful situation.
あ、痛そう。大丈夫？
Oh, that looks painful. Are you okay?
A sympathetic or mild exclamation, often used when you see someone get a minor injury. Can also be used for your own lingering pain.
いてて、それは痛いね。
Ouch, that must hurt.
You can lengthen the vowel to express more intense pain, e.g., 痛ーっ！ (itaaa!) or いてーっ！ (iteee!). This is very common in casual speech.
痛っ (ita!) is a sharp, instantaneous exclamation. 痛い (itai) can be used as an exclamation but is also the standard adjective meaning 'painful'. When you stub your toe, 痛っ is more natural; when describing that your toe hurts, use 痛い.