owie

Owie is an informal interjection used to express mild to moderate pain in English. It is commonly spoken by children and appears in humorous or affectionate contexts, such as cartoons, children’s books, and online memes. The word is often spelled “owie,” though variants like “ow” or “owwie” are also seen.

Linguistically, owie is a diminutive form derived from the interjection “ow” with the playful suffix “-ie,” which softens the tone and signals a childlike or lighthearted mood. In everyday use, it can function as an interjection (“Owie, that hurts!”) or as a noun in childish speech (“I’ve got a nasty owie on my knee.”). Gesture and facial expressions commonly accompany the utterance to emphasize the sense of hurt.

In popular culture and online communication, owie is frequently used to convey relatable, minor injuries or mishaps. It can signal a non-serious tone, self-deprecating humor, or empathy toward someone who has been hurt, rather than serious or clinical pain.

Owie is not typically employed in formal or technical writing; in those contexts, more precise terms such as “pain,” “injury,” or “ache” are preferred. Its usage is largely confined to informal speech, dialogue in entertainment media, and casual online discourse.

See also: ouch, pain expression, child-directed language.