German · The Basics
Arsch
ARSH · /aʁʃ/
Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"Arse"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
On its own, "arse." Its real power is as a building block: Arschloch, Arschgeige, arschkalt, "am Arsch," "leck mich am Arsch." If Scheiße is the scatological heart of German, Arsch is its second chamber. Calling a person "ein Arsch" is a solid mid-tier insult — rude, not nuclear.
Heard in the wild
Sei kein Arsch, hilf mir mal.
Don't be an ass, give me a hand.
Where it lands
Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal
Quick answers
- What does "Arsch" mean?
- In German, "Arsch" means "Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German". Literally it's "Arse". On its own, "arse." Its real power is as a building block: Arschloch, Arschgeige, arschkalt, "am Arsch," "leck mich am Arsch." If Scheiße is the scatological heart of German, Arsch is its second chamber. Calling a person "ein Arsch" is a solid mid-tier insult — rude, not nuclear.
- Is "Arsch" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "Arsch"?
- Say it "ARSH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: aʁʃ.
Related in German
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "You idiot".
- French Con Idiot / dumbass — the single most useful insult in French
- Greek μαλάκας Asshole / idiot — OR — dude / mate. The single most important word in Greek.
- Italian Stronzo! Asshole! / Bastard!
- Japanese ばか Idiot / dummy / stupid
- Korean 바보 Dummy / silly — the soft, safe, often affectionate 'idiot.'
- Polish debil Moron / idiot — the standard hard 'you idiot.'
- Portuguese Otário Sucker / gullible fool / mug
- Russian Дурак! Idiot / fool
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