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Can I use the onomatopoeic word 'tsuh'?

Not sure of its existence, I literally googled 'tsuh' to see if it was even a word. What I had in mind was a kind of exaggerated tongue click that one does as a sign of disapproval.

After browsing among Japanese terms, I found this definition by Urban Dictionary that does seem to give the word in question some sort of legitimacy.

'An interjection expressing extreme indifference to or disdain of another person's ideas or presence. Also can be used to express displeasure about a situation. (Note: the T and S must both be clearly pronounced.)

Creepy guy: Hey girl you got pretty eyes, can I get your number? Christine: Tsuh.

Steve: Dude check out my star wars toy collection!

Ted: Tsuh.

Jenny: WTF, this bar is out of Stoli Orange?!?

Mandy: TSUH!'

I'm here to know how common this word is among English speakers and, possibly, if there are other spellings, or even altogether different words, that might better fit the context.

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  • Googling the Web is good. You can also search books.google.com. You can also search onelook.com to check dictionaries. Please include your results (including the one from UD) in your question, not in a link. (Links are not necessarily accessible to everyone, break over time, etc.)
    – MarcInManhattan
    Sep 6, 2022 at 11:59

3 Answers 3

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I can imagine that 'tsuh' is a rare alternative spelling of 'tsk' or 'tut'. These are derisive expressions originally written down to signify a tongue click, but some people use the spelling pronunciation and pronounce them literally as 'tisk' and 'tut'.

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    I remember as a kid seeing 'tsk-tsk' used in speech balloons in my favourite comics (The Beano and The Dandy) usually when a adult was expressing disapproval, and failing to link it with the very familiar sound my parents used. I assumed it was local to Dundee, where the comics were published.
    – Michael Harvey
    Sep 6, 2022 at 12:19
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There's also tush or pish-tush, an expression of contempt, now very old-fashioned. W.S. Gilbert called one of the characters in The Mikado Pish-Tush as a mock-Chinese name (the story is set in Japan, but he doesn't seem to have known the difference!).

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People in the UK may use the word 'tut' as a verb (the act of making a specific sound expressing disapproval) or noun (the sound itself).

My mother tuts every time she hears someone shouting in the street.

There was lots of tutting in the church when Joe wore a rainbow badge.

I heard lots of tuts in the train when the driver announced that it would be delayed.

Tut (Cambridge Dictionary)

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