The term sound symbolism refers to the phenomenon that word form (e.g., the phonemes of which a word consists) and word meaning are non-arbitrarily related. For example, specific vowels have been shown to be associated with size, so that participants typically choose the word MIL (vs. MAL) to denote a small (vs. large) object (e.g., Sapir, 1929). Sound-symbolism has been shown across many of the world’s major spoken languages as well as many sign languages. The present symposium will comprise talks that span several research areas in sound symbolism, comparing different semantic dimensions, different languages, and different psychological processes. First, cross-linguistic similarities in the association between phonemes and valence (Talk 1, Körner) as well as cross-linguistic differences in sound symbolic associations for size (Talk 2, Ćwiek) will be discussed. Additionally, the contribution of articulatory compared to acoustic properties of phonemes are examined by showing that valence sound symbolism partially relies on articulation (Talk 1, Körner), while frequently, both articulatory and acoustic features interact (Talk 3, Winter). Lastly, different methods for examining sound symbolism in the lab are discussed with an emphasis on unrestricted tasks, such as asking participants to generate pseudo-words to prevent (Talk 4, Rummer). Together with the talks, the integrative discussion will facilitate a deeper understanding of how word form and meaning are related and which psychological processes drive sound symbolism. Ultimately, words reflect psychological functions and research on sound symbolism can reveal how the human mind uses ecological and psychological associations to represent meaning.