If you’ve been anywhere online in the last month, you’ve definitely seen the word “naur” being thrown around by just about everyone.
And I’m sad to report that just like how Australians have dragged Americans for not knowing what kettles are and for their abnormally large bathroom stall gaps, the tables have turned. This is because Americans, along with what seems like the rest of the world, have discovered that Australians pronounce “no” as “naur” and now we are getting (playfully) dragged to hell and back.
But to be honest, we shouldn’t be too surprised. After all, when American teens discovered the classic Aussie showH20: Just Add Water in 2019,they roasted our accents hard on TikTok.
“OHHH NAURRR CLEOORRRR” remakes had taken over the app for months before theH20 Challenge slowly faded into the abyss — that is, until now, as “naur” makes an incredibly stronger return.
In fact, what started off as people mocking the ridiculousness of the Australian accent has now become a staple in their everyday life, with naur being thrown around anywhere it will fit.
“naur” is never leaving for me. cause I done started saying it to people out loud.
— brianavision (@imnotbri_) June 11, 2021
“naur” has infected my people like the plague
— dash • they/them (@thedigitaldash_) June 15, 2021
the shackles that "naur" and "i fear" have me in…
— yosnier (@Yosnier_) June 15, 2021
So, What Is Naur And Where Did It Come From?
Naur is literally just the phonetic spelling of the word “no” in an Australian accent, which has become a playful way to mock the nasal, drawn-out sounds of an Aussie speaking.
As mentioned above, the word naur was already in everyone’s minds from the lingering H20 Challenge trend on TikTok. But when people began to realise that “naur” is actually the genuine way Australians pronounce “no”, it sent the world into a spin.
I guess people outside of Australia had just assumed the thick Aussie accent the actors onH20: Just Add Waterused were exaggerated, but after hearing some normal Australians say the word, people couldn’t help but absorb it into their own everyday language.
i cant they really say “naur” LMFAOOOO https://t.co/MtjdXh1g4K
— 🪆 (@bokchiy) April 27, 2021
why was i talking about some “NAAAAUUUURRR” at the pool and an australian lady started speaking to me
— mika! (@themikalaleeann) June 15, 2021
What also really helped “naur” become so commonplace online was K-Pop stars Bang Chan and Changbin — both of the popular South Korean boy band, Stray Kids —discussing the Aussie accent on video in March. Bang Chan, who grew up in Australia, has a very heavy Australian accent.
“I know that Aussie accent, like whenever Hyung says ‘no’ you always say it like ‘naur’,” said Changbin, before the two went back and forth saying the word “no” in their different accents.
As with the power of K-Pop stans, “naur” quickly circulated through the K-Pop Twitter community before it was later adopted by the wider internet, too.
Regardless of the exact origins of the current Naur Plague™️ taking over the world, the Aussie version of “no” has been lovingly adopted by Twitter and TikTok as people sprinkle “naur” into everything they do.
it's a simple yass or naur question
— Leo Xander (@STALLE0N) May 18, 2021
every time i see someone spell “no” as “naur” it cracks me up
— sarah lugor! (@sarahlugor) February 2, 2021
australians trapped in a jigsaw trap would be like "oh naur it's jigsaur"
— derek stonehammer (@reindeereks) June 6, 2021
naur is the next pandemic we weren’t prepared for… pic.twitter.com/QGPVI0XZFh
— elio // planet her out now 🪐 (@itselliotok) June 15, 2021
imagine u propose to someone and their response is “naur”
— kendaya (@kungf*ckenny2000) June 2, 2021
can i play this? pic.twitter.com/dJIp7QCNT2
— sey smythe (@seynique) June 8, 2021
I mean, hey it’s not all bad. At least Australians can go viral by pretending to put on their best Aussie accent to trick the rest of the world.
Plus we’re all getting a much-needed break from Americans shouting “CLEOORRRR”. At least… for now.
