12

I am not a native English speaker. Anyways, there's this girl in my class who quite frequently bunks and she relies on me for notes. I am basically her asset who does all her assignments and other stuffs like doing completing her algorithm and Program assignments/projects. I don't mind, but, I have noticed that she always uses the word muwaah or something like that at the end of our conversations/messages. What does that even mean? I tried asking her once but she just laughed so hard and told muwaah and went away.In my years of learning English I have never come across of this word. Sorry, my native is not English language so I don't have that great vocabulary. Also, How do you even pronounce that word !?!?

9
  • 10
    It's onomatopoeia for a kissing noise. The big sloppy kind your aunt gives you on the cheek.
    – Dan Bron
    Mar 25, 2016 at 22:24
  • 3
    I'll add that a closer approximation to the typical pronunciation would likely be "mmmwah", a bit like the French "moi", though with the m sound stretched out a bit. (But the pronunciation of such terms will vary widely.)
    – Hot Licks
    Mar 25, 2016 at 22:53
  • 5
    Clearly here it's the kissing noise, but it can also be the first "word" of the cackle an evil villain makes as he commences his plan: "muwaah ha ha"
    – Jim
    Mar 26, 2016 at 5:28
  • 7
    Off-topic, but rather important: The girl is taking advantage of you. She's abusing your kindness, and judging by your username, your low self-esteem. I strongly suggest you reconsider whether it's good for you to keep doing her homework just to have her laugh at your face.
    – Moyli
    Mar 26, 2016 at 11:03
  • 1
    Honestly, I'm getting the feeling that you already knew what it means and made this post as a joke :P
    – Saikat
    Mar 26, 2016 at 15:51

2 Answers 2

16

It is onomatopoeia for the sound of kissing.

A sign of affection which can sometimes be considered flirting.

Oxford dictionary definition:

Used to represent the sound of a kiss, typically one given in an exaggerated or theatrical way:

'Mwah, mwah! How are you, dahling?'

As Hot Licks mentions in the comments, it is pronounced similarly to the French pronoun "moi" (i.e. "mwah").

3
  • Just noticed dan bron covered this in the comments, apologies! Mar 25, 2016 at 23:35
  • No problem, +1 from me. If you can find some kind of source to add weight to your answer, so much the better.
    – Dan Bron
    Mar 25, 2016 at 23:40
  • yeah cheers baller! Mar 25, 2016 at 23:49
7

For a clear and convincing representation of how "mwah!" was pronounced by 17-year-old girls in Queens, New York, in 1964, you can't do better than to consult "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" by the Shangri-Las. The relevant lyrics leading up to the critical moment are:

Gonna walk right up to him/Give him a great big kiss—mwaah!

You can hear the "mwaah!" twice during this recording of the song—at 0:40 and again at 1:34. "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" is also a great place to hear how 17-year-old girls in Queens, New York, in 1964 pronounced the word dancer (at 1:42 and 1:45). "Whudduyuh mean, 'Is he a good dancer?'"

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.