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German · The Basics

Hau ab!

HOW AP · /haʊ ˈap/

Get lost! / Clear off! / Beat it!

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Hit off / strike away"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The everyday "beat it" — brisk and dismissive without being a declaration of war. You shout it at a pigeon on your Brötchen or a pushy salesman. Rougher: "Verpiss dich!" (piss off, severity 3). Politer brush-off: "Lass mich in Ruhe" (leave me alone).

Heard in the wild

Hau ab, du nervst!

Get lost, you're annoying!

Where it lands

Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal

Quick answers

What does "Hau ab!" mean?
In German, "Hau ab!" means "Get lost! / Clear off! / Beat it!". Literally it's "Hit off / strike away". The everyday "beat it" — brisk and dismissive without being a declaration of war. You shout it at a pigeon on your Brötchen or a pushy salesman. Rougher: "Verpiss dich!" (piss off, severity 3). Politer brush-off: "Lass mich in Ruhe" (leave me alone).
Is "Hau ab!" 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 "Hau ab!"?
Say it "HOW AP" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: haʊ ˈap.

Related in German

Scheiße! SHY-suh Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive Verdammt! fair-DAMT Damn! / Damn it! Verdammt nochmal! fair-DAMT NOCH-mahl God damn it! / For crying out loud! Halt die Klappe! HALT dee KLAP-uh Shut your trap! / Shut up! Verdammte Scheiße! fair-DAM-tuh SHY-suh God-damn shit! / Bloody hell! Herrgott nochmal! HAIR-got NOCH-mahl For God's sake! / Good Lord!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Get lost".

how to say "Get lost" →

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