Onomatopoeia in Spanish – Guau Guau!
¡Guau guau! Welcome to our blog on onomatopoeia in Spanish. Guau is the Spanish word for ‘woof’ but can also mean ‘wow’. In this blog we will explore some more common onomatopoeia, or words that sound like what they represent, in Spanish.
Note: The Spanish word for onomatopoeia is onomatopeya.
As with our blogs on the noises animals make in Spanish, onomatopoeia is not the same in each language. Onomatopoeia in your native language would usually be picked up at a young age, by mimicking things such as animal sounds or through watching TV shows. It’s been said that onomatopoeia play a big role in early language development.
The sounds of animals don’t change from country to country (of course!). However, native speakers interpret sounds in different ways in each language, so it can be a fun way to learn a language!
Hint: One good way to practice these sounds is to match the sounds to the images they represent.
Let’s look at some common onomatopoeia in Spanish!
- Muac – the sound of a kiss
- ¡Paf! – the sound something makes when it falls
- Traca, traca – the sound of a train on the tracks
- ¡Pataplum! – the sound of an explosion
- ¡Toc toc! – the sound of a knock at the door
- Hip – the sound of a hiccup in Spanish
- ¡Pam pam! – the sound of a gun firing
- Plof – the sound of something hitting water
- Glu, glu – the sound of drinking
- ¡Achís! – the sound of a sneeze
Which of your newly studied Spanish onomatopoeia is your favourite? Get in touch on our social media channels to let us know!
