Oy vey

Its Hebrew equivalent is oy vavoy (אוי ואבוי, óy va'avóy).

[3] According to etymologist Douglas Harper, the phrase is derived from Yiddish and is of Germanic origin.

an alternative theory for the origin of the Yiddish expression is that "oy" stems from Biblical Hebrew, and that "vey" is its Aramaic equivalent.

[1] It is alternatively spelled אוי, הוי, or הו in Biblical Hebrew [5] and ווי, וי, ואי, and ויא in Aramaic.

[7] The fuller lament is sometimes found as the more Germanic oy vey ist mir.

[7][10] An Oy is not merely an ordinary word, but rather expresses an entire world view, according to visual anthropologist Penny Wolin.