How do you pronounce yowza? I think I heard it used in the American tv show how I met your mother and it sounded to me like yo-woo-za. I may be completely mistaken.

ren3

3 Nov 2014

Featured answer

English (US)

Depends on what part of the country you're from. Usually though the first part is more of a "ya" sound.

ren3

3 Nov 2014

English (US)

Depends on what part of the country you're from. Usually though the first part is more of a "ya" sound.

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wyatt

3 Nov 2014

English (US)

I agree with ren. It is generally pronounced:

Yow - zuh

But it isn't actually a real word (and not a common saying either). It generally implies surprise at something.

I would also say it's history is not so ideal as it was often used (in pop culture) to objectify to an attractive woman.

"Yowza, look at that babe"

I don't recommend using it personally.

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joshwhetstone

3 Nov 2014

English (US)

It's a fairly outdated expression. Usually it's used in an ironic/joking sense. Other forms are yowzer and yowzers.

They all start with basically the equivalent of the way “yao” would be in Japanese. The final syllable is what was said before. Not a Japanese equivalent. Zuh or zuhrs.

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