Turkish · Exclamations
Eyvah!
AY-vah · /ejˈvah/
Oh no! / Uh-oh!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Alas!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The clean gasp of dawning disaster — you left the oven on, missed the stop, forgot the meeting. "Eyvah eyvah" doubles the dread. Grandma-safe and genuinely useful; it's the sound of the floor dropping out, no profanity required.
Heard in the wild
Eyvah, cüzdanımı evde unuttum!
Oh no, I left my wallet at home!
Where it lands
Turkey-wide; universal
Quick answers
- What does "Eyvah!" mean?
- In Turkish, "Eyvah!" means "Oh no! / Uh-oh!". Literally it's "Alas!". The clean gasp of dawning disaster — you left the oven on, missed the stop, forgot the meeting. "Eyvah eyvah" doubles the dread. Grandma-safe and genuinely useful; it's the sound of the floor dropping out, no profanity required.
- Is "Eyvah!" 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 "Eyvah!"?
- Say it "AY-vah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ejˈvah.
Related in Turkish
Ya YAH Come on / seriously / ugh — a softener-slash-intensifier tacked on for feeling Of ya! OFF YAH Ugh! / For crying out loud! Hassiktir! hah-sik-TEER Holy shit! / Oh fuck! Tüh! TEW Darn! / Shoot! / Dang it! Kahretsin! kah-ret-SEEN Damn it! / Dammit! Hay Allah! HY ah-LAH Oops / oh dear / for heaven's sake
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.