German · Exclamations & Outbursts
Mein Gott!
MINE GOT · /maɪn ɡɔt/
My God! / Oh my God!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"My God"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Mild all-purpose dismay or amazement — fully daytime-safe unless you're at a very devout dinner. Often stretched for effect: "Mein Gott, Walter!" is a whole cultural catchphrase (a Mike Krüger song) that Germans deploy to mean "come on already." The diminutive "Meine Güte" is even softer.
Heard in the wild
Mein Gott, bist du groß geworden!
My God, how you've grown!
Where it lands
Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal
Quick answers
- What does "Mein Gott!" mean?
- In German, "Mein Gott!" means "My God! / Oh my God!". Literally it's "My God". Mild all-purpose dismay or amazement — fully daytime-safe unless you're at a very devout dinner. Often stretched for effect: "Mein Gott, Walter!" is a whole cultural catchphrase (a Mike Krüger song) that Germans deploy to mean "come on already." The diminutive "Meine Güte" is even softer.
- Is "Mein Gott!" 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 "Mein Gott!"?
- Say it "MINE GOT" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: maɪn ɡɔt.
Related in German
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Unbelievable".
- 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 Minchia! Holy shit! / Wow! / Damn!
- Japanese やばい Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context
- Korean 헐 Whoa / no way / I can't even — the all-purpose stunned noise.
- Polish masakra A disaster / unbelievable / total carnage — the all-purpose 'this is insane.'
- Portuguese Caramba! Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow!
- Russian Офигеть! Wow! / Holy cow! / No way!
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