A few months ago we talked about the fact that Animals Make Different Sounds Depending On The Language You Speak. Apparently, sneezing is no different as people make different sounds depending on where they live. This is because people tend to “modify” the sound of sneezing according to the rules of each language.
In English, the go-to sound for sneezing is of course, “Achoo!” but that’s not universal. Vietnamese people will say “Hat Xi!”, the Russian sneezing sound is “Apchkhi!”, Greeks and Turkish say “Hapsu!” while a Korean person sneezing will actually say “Eichi!”
And the list is endless. The common sound in Hindi is “Achhee”, in Portuguese “Atchim!”, in German “Hatchi” and in Japanese, which is by far my favorite one, the sound is “Hakushon!” (i’ll give this a try next time i get a cold). (the article continues after the ad)
James Chapman gathered all these different sounds and made a wonderful infographic that you can download so you know how to sneeze depending on the land you’re on:
This also explains why deaf people sneeze silently. In an article written on Limping Chicken, a deaf community magazine, Charlie Swinbourne suggests that for deaf people, “a sneeze is what it should be… something that just happens with no added sound effects. [There is] a heavy breath as the deep pre-sneeze breath is taken, then a sharper, faster sound of air being released.”
Interesting indeed.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Here’s Why Animals Make Different Sounds Depending On The Language You Speak
Photo: Wikimedia, James Chapman
Sources: Why deaf people sneeze silently | The Question: Do hearing people fake their sneezes? We need to know | Soundimals: How to Sneeze in Japanese