huh

Meaning

1. Used to express doubt or confusion.
2. Used to express amusement or subtle surprise.
3. Used to reinforce a question.
4. (slang) Used either to belittle the issuer of a statement/question, or sarcastically to indicate utter agreement, and that the statement being responded to is an extreme understatement. The intonation is changed to distinguish between the two meanings - implied dullness for belittlement, and feigned surprise for utter agreement.
5. (informal) Used to indicate that one did not hear what was said.
6. (informal) Used to create a tag question.
7. Representing the sound of heavy breathing.
8. Representing a chuckling sound.
9. A kiai, shouted as a limb is swung in attack.

Synonyms

what

eh

say what

seriously

no way

I didn't catch ya'

pardon

pshaw

really

hmm

so

hey

wow

pish

hah

ha

hm

humph

Pronounced as (IPA)

/hʌ/

Etymology

Attested from circa 1600. Compare Dutch hè (“huh”).