German · The Basics
Quatsch!
KVATCH · /kvatʃ/
Nonsense! / Rubbish! / No way!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Squish / mush"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The perfect one-word dismissal — someone says something silly or self-deprecating and you wave it away with "Quatsch!" Utterly harmless, weirdly satisfying to say (that "kv-" onset). Also a verb: "quatschen" is to natter/chat. Grandma-approved.
Heard in the wild
Ich bin zu alt dafür. — Quatsch, du bist erst vierzig!
I'm too old for this. — Nonsense, you're only forty!
Where it lands
Germany — universal; Austria/Switzerland understood
Quick answers
- What does "Quatsch!" mean?
- In German, "Quatsch!" means "Nonsense! / Rubbish! / No way!". Literally it's "Squish / mush". The perfect one-word dismissal — someone says something silly or self-deprecating and you wave it away with "Quatsch!" Utterly harmless, weirdly satisfying to say (that "kv-" onset). Also a verb: "quatschen" is to natter/chat. Grandma-approved.
- Is "Quatsch!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Quatsch!"?
- Say it "KVATCH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: kvatʃ.
Related in German
Arsch ARSH Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German Halt die Klappe! HALT dee KLAP-uh Shut your trap! / Shut up! Ach du Scheiße! AKH doo SHY-suh Oh shit! / Oh crap! Was zum Teufel? VASS tsoom TOY-fel What the hell? / What the devil? Heilige Scheiße! HY-lig-uh SHY-suh Holy shit! Scheiße! SHY-suh Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "No way".
- French Oh la vache ! Holy cow! / Wow! / Whoa!
- Greek έλα ρε Come on! / No way! / You're kidding — disbelief, protest, or delight depending on tone.
- Italian Dai! Come on! / Come off it! / Please!
- Japanese マジ Seriously / for real / no joke
- Korean 헐 Whoa / no way / I can't even — the all-purpose stunned noise.
- Polish no co ty! No way! / Come on! / You can't be serious.
- Portuguese Porra nenhuma! Bullshit! / Like hell! / Not a damn thing
- Russian Офигеть! Wow! / Holy cow! / No way!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.