The phrase combines the Tagalog expression aray ko, meaning ouch, with tokwa, the word for tofu, giving the shout an absurd random humor that Filipino meme pages picked up on. Short voice clips like this spread on soundboards and in edited videos because the wording is easy to recognize even out of context. It remains popular for reaction edits where a minor mishap needs a much bigger vocal response, and its Tagalog wording helps it stand out from English language meme screams.