{"id":93100,"date":"2015-12-03T04:40:06","date_gmt":"2015-12-03T09:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-internet-slang\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T04:07:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T09:07:59","slug":"german-internet-slang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-internet-slang\/","title":{"rendered":"50+ Common German Internet Slang Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"

German Internet slang, or Netzjargon<\/em>, is a language you’ll be encountering more and more often as we spend more of our lives online.\u00a0But besides helping you for online conversations, it can also take your reading and writing a step farther.<\/p>\n

Much like English, the majority of German Internet slang involves an\u00a0Abk\u00fcrzung <\/em>(abbreviation) of a phrase or group of words, often formed from the first letters of each.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

Farewell German Slang<\/h2>\n

Signing off on a conversation and need to rush? Try out these quick little farewells.<\/p>\n

bb<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0b<\/strong>is b<\/strong>ald<\/em> (see you soon)<\/p>\n

bd<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0b<\/strong>is d<\/strong>ann<\/em> (until then)<\/p>\n

gn8<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0g<\/strong>ute N<\/strong>acht<\/em> (good night)<\/p>\n

lg<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0l<\/strong>iebe G<\/strong>r\u00fc\u00dfe<\/em> (kind regards)<\/p>\n

vlg<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>v<\/strong>iele<\/em> l<\/strong>iebe G<\/strong>r\u00fc\u00dfe<\/em> <\/em>(many kind regards)<\/p>\n

Love Language Slang in German<\/h2>\n

These affectionate abbreviations may be short, but it doesn’t make them any less full of meaning.<\/p>\n

dad<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0de<\/strong>nke an<\/strong> di<\/strong>ch<\/em> (thinking about you)<\/p>\n

hdl<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> h<\/strong>ab d<\/strong>ich l<\/strong>ieb<\/em> (I like you \/ love ya)<\/p>\n

hdgdl<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0h<\/strong>ab d<\/strong>ich g<\/strong>anz d<\/strong>oll l<\/strong>ieb <\/em>(I like you a lot \/ love ya lots)<\/p>\n

ida<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0i<\/strong>ch d<\/strong>ich a<\/strong>uch<\/em> (I like \/ love you too)<\/p>\n

ild<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0I<\/strong>ch l<\/strong>iebe d<\/strong>ich <\/em>(I love you)<\/p>\n

German Phrases in Slang<\/h2>\n

These shortened versions will come as a godsend in lengthy conversations. Plus, a lot of them are pretty funny to say out loud!<\/p>\n

8tung <\/strong>\/ 8ung<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0achtung<\/em> (be careful)<\/p>\n

hdf<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0h<\/strong>alt d<\/strong>ie\/d<\/strong>eine F<\/strong>resse <\/em>(shut up)<\/p>\n

IRL<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> In real life<\/p>\n

kA<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0k<\/strong>eine A<\/strong>hnung<\/em> (no clue)<\/p>\n

kD<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>k<\/strong>ein D<\/strong>ing<\/em> (no big deal)<\/p>\n

kP<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0k<\/strong>ein P<\/strong>roblem <\/em>(no problem)<\/p>\n

lamito<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0la<\/strong>ch mi<\/strong>ch to<\/strong>t<\/em> (laughing myself to death)<\/p>\n

omg<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>o<\/strong>h m<\/strong>ein G<\/strong>ott<\/em> (oh my God)<\/p>\n

usw<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0u<\/strong>nd s<\/strong>o w<\/strong>eiter<\/em> (and so on)<\/p>\n

wd<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0w<\/strong>ieder d<\/strong>a<\/em> (I’m back)<\/p>\n

wimre<\/strong> \u2014w<\/strong>enn i<\/strong>ch m<\/strong>ich r<\/strong>echt e<\/strong>rinnere <\/em>(if I recall correctly)<\/p>\n

zB<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0z<\/strong>um B<\/strong>eispiel<\/em> (for example)<\/p>\n

zl;ng<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0z<\/strong>u l<\/strong>ang, n<\/strong>icht g<\/strong>elesen<\/em> (too long, didn’t read)<\/p>\n

Slang for Single Words and Terms<\/h2>\n

Texting is all about speed and efficacy. We all know German words can get notoriously long and clumpy, so it makes sense to chop them down into a few distinctive letters.<\/p>\n

bzw<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>b<\/strong>ez<\/strong>iehungsw<\/strong>iese<\/em> (or, accordingly)<\/p>\n

eig<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0eig<\/strong>entlich<\/em> (actually)<\/p>\n

evtl<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>ev<\/strong>ent<\/strong>uel<\/strong>l<\/em> (eventually)<\/p>\n

ggf<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0g<\/strong>eg<\/strong>ebenenf<\/strong>alls <\/em>(if necessary)<\/p>\n

jmd<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>j<\/strong>em<\/strong>and<\/strong><\/em> (someone)<\/p>\n

jzt<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0j<\/strong>etz<\/strong>t<\/em> (now)<\/p>\n

nix<\/strong> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0nichts (nothing)<\/p>\n

vlt<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>v<\/strong>iell<\/strong>eicht<\/strong><\/em> (maybe)<\/p>\n

WE<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0W<\/strong>ochene<\/strong>nde<\/em> (weekend)<\/p>\n

English-language Slang<\/h2>\n

Plenty of English texting slang is also widely used by Germans. This isn’t surprising, seeing how many native Germans are able to speak English as a second language. The widespread usage of English in everyday German even has its own nickname: Denglisch <\/em>(Denglish)<\/p>\n

Here are a few familiar terms that are commonly used.<\/p>\n

afk<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> a<\/strong>way f<\/strong>rom k<\/strong>eyboard<\/p>\n

asap<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> a<\/strong>s s<\/strong>oon a<\/strong>s p<\/strong>ossible<\/p>\n

btw<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> b<\/strong>y t<\/strong>he w<\/strong>ay<\/p>\n

cu<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> see you<\/p>\n

fyi<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> f<\/strong>or y<\/strong>our i<\/strong>nformation<\/p>\n

gg<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> g<\/strong>ood g<\/strong>ame<\/p>\n

idk<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> I<\/strong> d<\/strong>on’t k<\/strong>now<\/p>\n

jk<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> j<\/strong>ust k<\/strong>idding<\/p>\n

lol<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> l<\/strong>augh o<\/strong>ut l<\/strong>oud<\/p>\n

ok<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> okay<\/p>\n

thx<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> t<\/strong>hanks<\/p>\n

plz<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> please<\/p>\n

XOXO<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> hugs and kisses<\/p>\n

wth<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> what the hell \/ heck<\/p>\n

wtf<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> what the f***<\/p>\n

y<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> why<\/p>\n

yolo<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> y<\/strong>ou o<\/strong>nly l<\/strong>ive o<\/strong>nce<\/p>\n

Where Can German Internet Slang Be Used?<\/h2>\n

Any of the slang terms you see here, you can expect to see on any digital or online German platform. This includes places like German-language texting apps, YouTube, forums, Discord and so on.<\/p>\n

Remember that pretty much all of these words are very casual and informal<\/strong> in nature. So I recommend you use it for more professional messaging contexts (such as if you’re sending a message to your employer).<\/p>\n

Interestingly,\u00a0 in my experience, the farther you head into tech territory (beyond common usage like email and chat) the less specifically-German slang you tend to find, as it gives way to a largely English-derived lingo. My German acquaintances have told me it was usually fine to resort to English slang if you’re unsure about its German counterpart. I imagine this will come as a relief to many of you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The online world is its own planet, which means you should learn the language it speaks!<\/p>\n

Happy messaging!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n\tIf you're like me and enjoy learning German through movies and other media, you should check out FluentU<\/strong><\/a>. With FluentU, you can turn any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix into an engaging language lesson. \r\n<\/p>\r\n\t

\r\n\t\tI also love that FluentU has a huge library of videos picked specifically for German learners<\/strong>. No more searching for good content\u2014it's all in one place!\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-german-with-videos\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\n\tOne of my favorite features is the interactive captions<\/strong>. You can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and examples, which makes it so much easier to understand and remember.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-german-vocab-with-fluentu\"<\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAnd if you're worried about forgetting new words, FluentU has you covered. You'll complete fun exercises to reinforce vocabulary<\/strong> and be reminded when it\u2019s time to review, so you actually retain what you\u2019ve learned.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"practice-german-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

German Internet slang, or , is a language you’ll be encountering more and more often as we spend more of our lives online.\u00a0But besides helping you for online conversations, it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":251924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"50+ Common German Internet Slang | FluentU German Blog","description":"Like every other language, German has its own Internet vocabulary and slang. Learning both will be greatly useful to your studies, especially during these digital-diverse times. Check out this list of the most essential German Internet slang you need to get started chatting!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[525,529,528],"tags":[],"coauthors":[474],"class_list":["post-93100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-german","category-slang-vocabulary","category-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224175,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93100\/revisions\/224175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93100"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=93100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}