Japanese · Exclamations
いてえ
itee (itai)
ee-TEH · /iteː/
Ow! / Ouch! / That hurts!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"it hurts"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The reflex yelp when you stub your toe. Polite form is itai; the clipped, drawn-out "itee!" is the rough/masculine spoken shout. Bonus meaning: "itai" also describes a person who is cringe or embarrassing ("ano hito itai" = that guy's a cringey mess), which has nothing to do with pain.
Heard in the wild
いてえ!足踏むなよ。
Ow! Don't step on my foot.
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "いてえ" mean?
- In Japanese, "いてえ" means "Ow! / Ouch! / That hurts!". Literally it's "it hurts". The reflex yelp when you stub your toe. Polite form is itai; the clipped, drawn-out "itee!" is the rough/masculine spoken shout. Bonus meaning: "itai" also describes a person who is cringe or embarrassing ("ano hito itai" = that guy's a cringey mess), which has nothing to do with pain.
- Is "いてえ" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "いてえ"?
- Say it "ee-TEH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: iteː.
Related in Japanese
マジ maji MAH-jee Seriously / for real / no joke マジか maji ka MAH-jee kah For real?! / Are you kidding me?! うそ uso OO-so No way! / You're kidding! / That can't be true! げっ ge' GEH Ugh / yuck / oh no たっけえ takkee (takai) tahk-KEH Damn, that's expensive! / highway robbery ビビる bibiru bee-BEE-roo Freaked out / spooked / rattled
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