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Quick Grammar Reference
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>>Other Words > Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the recreation of sounds heard throughout the physical world in a spoken language: a dog barking, a car honking, etc.
Here is a list of certain onomatopéias onomatopoeiae. Notice that what a Portuguese speaker hears is not always quite the same as how an English speaker reproduces the sound.
| Portuguese | English |
| Au-au! | Bark!, Arf!, Ruf! (dog) |
| Miau! | Meow! (cat) |
| Muu! | Moo! (cow) |
| Piu-piu! | Chirp chirp! (bird) |
| Cocoroco! | Cock-a-doodle-doo! (rooster) |
| Cocoricó! | (hen) |
| Piu piu piu! | Peep-peep! (baby chick) |
| Croinh! Croinh! | Oink, oink! (pig) |
| Auuu! | Owwwww! (wolf howl) |
| Quá quá! | Quack! Quack! (duck) |
| Meee! | Baaah! (sheep) |
| Zzz! | Buzz! Bzz! (insect) |
| Ah! ah! | Hahah! (laugh) |
| Ih! ih! ih! | Hehee! Mwaha! (laugh) |
| Vjj! | Smack! (kiss) |
| Tic! tic! tic! | Tickle! Tickle! |
| Buá! | Waah! (crying) |
| Bóim! | Boing! (bouncing) |
| Vap! | Whack! (hitting with an object) |
| Tum! | Whack! (kicking) |
| Vump! | Whomp! (a quick, short fall) |
| Plec! plec! | (applause) |
| Uss!, Oss! | Cough! |
| Zum! | Zoom! (fast-moving object) |
| Vop! | Zoom! (object passing through the air above) |
| Iéé! | Screech! (car breaks) |
| Fom! fom! | Honk! Honk! (car horn) |
| Zim! | (arrow shot from a bow) |
| Trim! trim! trim! | (dialing a phone) |
| Ta-bum! | Ka-boom! (a bomb exploding) |
| Glub!, Blub! | Gurgle!, Glug! (water) |
| Pim!, Plim! | Drip! (water) |
| Dim!, Plim! | Ding, dong! (doorbell) |
| Blém! | Clang! (metal) |
* The exclamation ah! is very common in Portuguese, and can express satisfaction, hope, exhaustion, and even frustration or surprise.