# Esperanto interjections: ho, ve, hura, nu and sound words

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/interjections/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-28

> Esperanto has nine official interjections (ha, he, ho, nu, ve, fi, hura, bis, adiaŭ) and many unofficial ones. Meanings, examples, stress, derivatives.

Esperanto has **nine official interjections**: *adiaŭ, bis, fi, ha, he, ho, hura, nu* and *ve*. An interjection is a short word that voices a feeling or calls for attention. It stands outside ordinary grammar: it has no ending, takes no case and does not interact with the other words of a sentence, but often forms a complete utterance by itself (PMEG). All others – *aha, hej, oj, hm* and the animal and noise words – are unofficial, and PMEG says speakers may create such words freely.

Greetings like *Saluton!* and *Dankon!* look similar but are not interjections; they are nouns in the [accusative](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/accusative/), explained further down.

## The nine official interjections

Six were already in the *Fundamento* of 1905 (in the Universala Vortaro or the Ekzercaro). Three were added later by the Language Committee and the Academy of Esperanto: *he* (1909), *hura* (1921) and *bis* (1929).

| Word | Expresses | Status | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| *adiaŭ* | farewell, especially for a long parting | Fundamento 1905 | *Mi diris adiaŭ al la malnova domo.* – "I said goodbye to the old house." |
| *bis* | "encore!": a request to repeat a performance | 4th Official Addition, 1929 | *"Bis!" kriis la publiko.* – "“Encore!” cried the audience." |
| *fi* | contempt, disgust | Fundamento 1905 | *Fi, kiel abomene!* – "Ugh, how revolting!" |
| *ha* | wonder, surprise | Fundamento 1905 | *Ha, kiel bele!* – "Ah, how beautiful!" |
| *he* | calling for attention | 1st Official Addition, 1909 | *He, Petro, atendu min!* – "Hey, Peter, wait for me!" |
| *ho* | any vivid feeling; also before an address | Fundamento 1905 | *Ho, Dio! kion vi faras!* – "Oh God, what are you doing!" |
| *hura* | joy, approval, enthusiasm | 3rd Official Addition, 1921 | *Hura! Ni gajnis!* – "Hooray! We won!" |
| *nu* | "well, come on": something notable follows | Fundamento 1905 | *Nu, iru pli rapide!* – "Come on, go faster!" |
| *ve* | grief or regret; also a threat | Fundamento 1905 | *Ve, mi perdis la ŝlosilon!* – "Alas, I have lost the key!" |

The examples of *fi, ha, ho* and *nu* come from Zamenhof's *Ekzercaro* (§ 26). Status and dates follow the Academy's Akademia Vortaro.

### Nu: the all-purpose word

*Nu* announces that something worth noticing follows. PMEG lists many uses, among them:

- impatience: *Nu, iru pli rapide!* – "Come on, go faster!"
- consent: *Nu, bone, mi venos.* – "Well, all right, I'll come."
- hesitation: *Nu... mi ne scias.* – "Well... I don't know."
- resignation: *Nu, tia estas la vivo.* – "Well, such is life."
- consolation: *Nu, nu, ĉio estos bone.* – "There, there, all will be well."

ReVo adds that *nu* also has a conjunction sense; a following "!" or "..." marks the interjection.

### Ho, ha, he and ve

*Ho* is the most general. It is common before an address (*ho, Dio!*) and in combinations such as *ho ve* and *he ho*. *Ha* is closer to wonder; doubled, *ha ha* imitates laughter. *He* gets someone's attention. *Ve* expresses sorrow and can be a warning: *Ve al vi, se vi tion faros!* – "Woe to you if you do that!"

### Adiaŭ and bis in practice

PMEG remarks that *adiaŭ* is used little in practice. People usually say *ĝis (la) revido!* or *ĝis!*, which expect a new meeting; see [greetings](https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/greetings/). *Bis* is limited to artistic and musical settings and is also rare; speakers more often say *pli, plian* or *denove*.

## Unofficial interjections

PMEG lists more than forty examples and adds that forms and meanings vary with speaker and situation, so glosses should not be taken too seriously. Unofficial does not mean wrong: these words are normal in speech and writing.

| Word | Expresses | Example |
|---|---|---|
| *lo* | a call, used only in the phone call *ha lo* | *Ha lo, ĉu vi aŭdas min?* – "Hello, can you hear me?" |
| *hola* | a call | *Hola! Ĉu iu estas hejme?* – "Hello! Is anybody home?" |
| *hoj* | a call from far away | *Hoj! Ni estas ĉi tie!* – "Hoy! We're over here!" |
| *hej* | encouragement, urging to merriment | *Hej, ni dancu!* – "Hey, let's dance!" |
| *hop* | urging to jump | *Hop! Super la barilon!* – "Hop! Over the fence!" |
| *stop* | "halt!" | *Stop! Ne iru plu!* – "Stop! Go no further!" |
| *aha* | noticing something expected or suspected | *Aha, tial vi ne venis!* – "Aha, so that's why you stayed away!" |
| *ehe* | sudden understanding | *Ehe, nun mi komprenas!* – "Aha, now I get it!" |
| *oho* | surprise | *Oho, kiom da homoj!* – "Oho, what a crowd!" |
| *aĥ* | strong surprise or regret | *Aĥ, kia domaĝo!* – "Ah, what a pity!" |
| *aj, aŭ* | pain | *Aj, mia piedo!* – "Ouch, my foot!" |
| *oj* | bitter regret or pain | *Oj, mi perdis ĉion!* – "Oh dear, I've lost everything!" |
| *ba, baf* | careless dismissal | *Ba, tio ne gravas.* – "Bah, it doesn't matter." |
| *be* | confusion (also a sheep's bleat) | *Be... mi ne komprenas.* – "Er... I don't understand." |
| *hm* | a pause to think, doubt, disagreement, a pretend cough | *Hm, mi devas pripensi.* – "Hm, I must think." |
| *uf* | relief after effort (*fu*: the same, or a stifled laugh) | *Uf, finfine finite!* – "Phew, finally finished!" |
| *hu* | sudden fear | *Hu! Kio estis tio?* – "Eek! What was that?" |
| *hu ha* | great excitement | – |
| *o kej* | agreement, "okay" | *O kej, ni iru.* – "Okay, let's go." |
| *amen, haleluja, hosana* | religious exclamations of Judaism and Christianity | – |

*Aŭ* "ouch" is spelled like the conjunction *aŭ* "or"; context tells them apart. *Hej* is not a greeting in PMEG's list: for "hello" use *Saluton!*.

## Sound words and animal calls

Sound words (onomatopoeia) are the loosest part of the language. PMEG says grammar rules do not apply to them, and they may break the usual sound rules: *sss* has three identical consonants and no vowel.

| Word | Imitates or is used for |
|---|---|
| *ŭa* | a baby's cry; a dog's bark |
| *hot, hoto* | urging a horse on or a cow away |
| *huŝ, tju* | scaring animals off |
| *gik gak* | a duck |
| *hu hu* | an owl |
| *kluk kluk* | a hen; also, like *glu glu*, water pouring from a bottle |
| *kŭaks, brekekekeks* | a toad |
| *kva, kvak* | a frog |
| *kvivit* | a chirping bird |
| *glu glu glu* | a turkey |
| *puf, pum* | the thud of a fall |
| *sss* | a hiss |
| *tik tak* | a mechanical clock |

- *Puf! La libro falis de la breto.* – "Thud! The book fell off the shelf."
- *La anaso diras “gik gak”, kaj la rano diras “kva”.* – "The duck says “gik gak” and the frog says “kva”."

Any root can lose its ending and become an exclamation or a sound. PMEG gives *halt!* (from *halti*), *ek!* "get going!", *eks!* "away with that!" and *help!*. Verbs give sounds by dropping the ending, sometimes with changes: *kraki* → *krak!*, *plaŭdi* → *plaŭ!*, *boji* → *boj!*, *tinti* → *tin tin!*, *pafi* → *pif, paf!*. PMEG advises doing this sparingly and only with one-vowel roots, because a bare *rapid!* leaves the stress unclear.

## Words made from interjections

An official interjection has no ending, but some have derived words with normal endings (see [word building](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/word-building/)). These forms are confirmed in PMEG or ReVo:

| Interjection | Derived words | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| *adiaŭ* | *adiaŭi, adiaŭo, adiaŭa* | to say goodbye; a farewell; farewell (adjective) |
| *bis* | *bisi* | to shout "bis!", to ask for a repeat |
| *fi* | *fia* | contemptible; *fi-* is also a [prefix](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/prefixes/): *fihomo* "a vile person" |
| *hura* | *hurao, hurai* | a cheer; to cheer (ReVo) |
| *ve* | *veo, vei* (also *veadi*), *vea, hejmveo* | a cry of woe; to lament; woeful; homesickness |
| *stop* | *stopi* | to bring to a halt |
| *hop* | *hopi* | to hop on one foot |

- *Ni adiaŭis niajn amikojn en la stacidomo.* – "We said goodbye to our friends at the station."
- *La infanoj huraas.* – "The children are cheering."

PMEG and ReVo list no derived words for *he, ho* or *nu*, so do not invent them.

## Saluton and Dankon are not interjections

*Saluton!* "Hello!" and *Dankon!* "Thanks!" look like exclamations but are nouns with the accusative ending. PMEG treats them as shortened sentences: *Saluton!* = *(Mi donas al vi) saluton* "(I give you) a greeting", and *Dankon!* = *(Mi donas al vi) dankon*. The same holds for *Bonan matenon!* – "(I wish you) a good morning". The *-n* marks the [object](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/accusative/) of a verb that is no longer spoken. See [polite phrases](https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/thanks-and-politeness/) for replies.

Other expressions that only look like interjections:

- *Jes, ne, jen* are adverb-like particles ([adverbs](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/adverbs/)).
- *Pardonu!, Bonvolu!, Helpu!* are imperatives with *-u*.
- *Kia bela tago!* is built with a [correlative](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/correlatives/); PMEG lists *Kia ĝoja festo!* among the shortened sentences, not the interjections.

## Pronunciation and spelling

Normally the stress falls on the second-to-last vowel (see the [alphabet](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/alphabet/)): *HU-ra, A-ha, HO-la*. PMEG notes that interjections often get another stress than the spelling suggests. It then recommends splitting or respelling the word so that the writing matches the sound.

| Word | Rule-based stress | Common pronunciation | Spelling for it |
|---|---|---|---|
| *hura* | HU-ra | hu-RA | *hu ra* |
| *hola* | HO-la | ho-LA | *ho la* |
| *aha, ehe, oho* | A-ha, E-he, O-ho | a-HA, e-HE, o-HO | *a ha, e he, o ho* |
| *o kej* | O-kej | o-KEJ | *o kej*, not *okej* |
| *miaŭ* | MI-aŭ | mi-AŬ | *mjaŭ* |

The phone call is *ha lo*, always said "ha-LO". Written *halo*, it would read as the ordinary noun *halo*, stressed HA-lo. The letter *ŭ* normally follows *a* or *e*, but in 2023 the Academy accepted it in other positions in exclamations and sound words, as in *ŭa* and *kŭaks*.

## Usage and culture

- Many of ReVo's quotations for *ve, ho, nu* and *hura* come from Zamenhof's translations of Andersen, Schiller and the Old Testament. His *Preĝo sub la Verda Standardo* uses *ho* in its invocation of a "mighty, bodiless Mystery".
- PMEG describes *ha lo* as a call used especially on the telephone. ReVo, quoting a usage guide, prefers *saluton* there.

## Examples in sentences

- *Ho, kia bela vespero!* – "Oh, what a lovely evening!"
- *Ha, jen vi estas!* – "Ah, there you are!"
- *He, atendu min!* – "Hey, wait for me!"
- *Nu, kion ni faru nun?* – "Well, what shall we do now?"
- *Ve, la lasta buso jam foriris!* – "Alas, the last bus has already left!"
- *Fi, kia malpura ĉambro!* – "Ugh, what a dirty room!"
- *Hura, morgaŭ komenciĝas la ferioj!* – "Hooray, the holidays start tomorrow!"
- *Post la koncerto ĉiuj kriis: Bis! Bis!* – "After the concert everyone shouted: Encore! Encore!"
- *Adiaŭ, kara amiko!* – "Farewell, dear friend!"
- *Aj, mi tranĉis mian fingron!* – "Ouch, I cut my finger!"

## Common questions

### How many interjections does Esperanto have?
Nine are official: *adiaŭ, bis, fi, ha, he, ho, hura, nu, ve*. Many more are unofficial, and speakers can invent sound words freely.

### Is Saluton an interjection?
No. It is the noun *saluto* "greeting" with the accusative ending *-n*, short for *Mi donas al vi saluton*. *Dankon* works the same way.

### How do you say "ouch" in Esperanto?
Use *aj!* or *aŭ!* for pain. *Oj!* expresses bitter regret or pain.

### What is the Esperanto word for "hooray"?
*Hura!* It is an official interjection, added in 1921. To cheer is *hurai*: *La infanoj huraas.*

### Can interjections take endings?
Some can: *veo, adiaŭi, bisi, fia, hurai*. Others, such as *ho* and *nu*, have no standard derived forms.

### Where does the stress fall in hura and aha?
By the rule on *HU-ra* and *A-ha*. Many speakers say *hu-RA* and *a-HA*; PMEG then suggests writing *hu ra* and *a ha*.

## Sources

- [PMEG ch. 18 – Interjections and sound words](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/ekkrioj_sonimitoj/index.html)
- [PMEG 18.1 – Official interjections](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/ekkrioj_sonimitoj/oficialaj_ekkrioj.html)
- [PMEG 18.2 – Ordinary roots as interjections](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/ekkrioj_sonimitoj/ordinaraj_radikoj.html)
- [PMEG 18.3 – Unofficial interjections and sound words](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/ekkrioj_sonimitoj/neoficialaj_ekkrioj.html)
- [PMEG 18.4 – Pronunciation and spelling](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/ekkrioj_sonimitoj/elparolado_skribado.html)
- [PMEG 32.3 – Shortened sentences (Saluton!, Dankon!)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/frazospecoj/mallongigitaj_frazoj.html)
- [Fundamento de Esperanto – Ekzercaro, § 26](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/ekzercaro.html) and [Universala Vortaro](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/universala_vortaro.html)
- [Akademia Vortaro – status of each element](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/akademia_vortaro/index.html) and [notes with the dates of the Official Additions](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/akademia_vortaro/klarigoj.html)
- [Akademio de Esperanto – Declaration on the letter ŭ (9 April 2023)](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/decidoj/pri-la-litero-u.html)
- ReVo (Reta Vortaro): [ve](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/ve.html), [hura](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/hura.html), [nu](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/nu.html), [bis](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/bis.html), [adiaŭ](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/adiaux.html), [hola](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/hola.html)