Bruder
/ˈbruːdɐ/
The English expression "bruh" can be translated into German as Bruder.
In German, Bruder can be used to express amazement or shock. It is also related to the informal term Alter, which is used among friends to address one another, meaning "dude" or "bro".
Meaning: amazement or shock (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbruːdɐ/
Did you know?
- The term Bruder is frequently used in German 'Kiezdeutsch', a variety of German influenced by migrant-speaking communities that has heavily shaped modern street slang.
- The word Bruder is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'brother' and the Latin word 'frater', as they all descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- In German, you might hear people combine terms of address, such as Bruder, Alter, which would sound redundant to an English speaker but serves to emphasize the shock.
Examples in context
- Mensch, das ist unglaublich!Bruh, that's unbelievable!
- Alter, hast du das gesehen? Das ist echt krass!Bruh, did you see that? It's really crazy!
- Bruder, das ist ja echt krass.Bruh, that is actually insane.
- Bruder, wie konntest du das nur machen?Bruh, how could you even do that?
- Bruder, ich fass es einfach nicht.Bruh, I simply can't believe it.
Example conversation
Julian tells Hannah about a ridiculous thing he saw online.
- JulianBruder, hast du das Video gesehen?Bruh, did you see that video?
- HannahNein, was war denn da?No, what happened?
- JulianDas war totaler Wahnsinn!It was total madness!
- HannahEcht jetzt? Das klingt verrückt.Really? That sounds crazy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Bruder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Bruder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
