Does anyone knows the meaning or when is this exclamation being used? Its 'Ow(falling tone)!' . My friend uses it alot.. It sounds like 'Ao(want) but in falling tone.

My friends wife is from Phichit area and her mum uses this expression alot.....until I also got the habit.....but I haven't been there for many years so now it has gone.

It is used at the beginning of a sentence or just alone. It is an exclamation sound...used like hey! or Oh! or the way HK Chinese say Waa!

Meaning Oh or goodness! or why!?

ow = อ้าว is an interjection preceding a question, when thing turns out not as you wanted or planned. I think it is similar to English "hold on" or "wait a minute"

I don't think it is even close to the F word...

It's the standard pouty/frustrated response from ever lakorn nang ek. ...whenever they don't get their way or are surprised that someone doesn't agree with them.

I use this word all the time . . .

the most recent example just a few days ago . . .

I type up a message to my friend on facebook in Thai, to join in a conversation with a bunch of other Thais. He never knew I could read/type Thai, and simply replied in English, "Did you actually type all that Thai out yourself?!".

My response was "อ้าว เจ็บใจอ่ะ 555", which basically means "hey that hurts! lol".

อ้าว isn't offensive, its more of a 'im suprised in a negative way about what you just said'.

อ้าว isn't offensive, its more of a 'im suprised in a negative way about what you just said'.

+1

It is nothing like f***

I use this word all the time . . .

อ้าว isn't offensive, its more of a 'im suprised in a negative way about what you just said'.

I agree. I use this word and hear it being used all the time to express surprise.

You can hear it in this commercial too, for example :

OW ! อ้าว ! It is used when the listener is surprised by what the speaker has just told them, be it an answer to a question or a statement. It is definatley not the Thai equivilant to Sh.. or <deleted>.. or any other exclemation of that like.

It's to show surprise.. to something unexpected...

eg. my boss asked me why i left the meeting early last night.. i replied "Ow..I thought it had finished"

Shit or fuc_k you could say something like "Ooh hee"

Edited January 12, 201115 yr by justaphase