Sneezing is something we all do, but apparently we don’t all make the same sounds when we sneeze, and some people (Deaf people) don’t make any specific sound at all!

In English when a person sneezes they say “achooo” (which could also be spelled: ‘hachoo’ or ‘achew’). I always thought this was an instinctual sound that just came out when we sneezed, but apparently it is a learned sound and in fact it is a cultural sound. People sneeze differently all around the world, or at least they make different sounds when they sneeze. For example, I have read that people in France say “atchoum” and people in Japan say “hakashun” while people in Korea say “etchi” and Filipinos say “ha-ching.” I would love to know if this is all true. Maybe some of you Transparent Language blog readers out there can write in with the different sounds you make, in your native languages, when you sneeze. So we can all see how different or similar sneezes are around the world. Here is an interesting article you can read from the BBC that talks about how Deaf people don’t make any specific sound at all when they sneeze. This just shows once again the sounds we make when we sneeze are learned habits, they aren’t instinctual, but in fact, thye are cultural.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-23162903

Since we are talking about what people say when they sneeze, we should also talk about what you should say in English, to be polite, when you hear someone sneeze. Common and polite ways to respond in English when you hear a person sneeze are:

“God bless you.”
“Bless you.”
American’s also commonly say the German expression “gesundheit,” which means “health” when someone sneezes.

After you sneeze you may want something to wipe your nose. You can either use a Kleenex or tissue (these words are used synonymously), which is made of thin soft paper.  Or you could use a handkerchief, which is made of cloth and can be cleaned (washed) and used multiple times.