Hände hoch!
The German phrase for "hands up" is Hände hoch!
Meaning: surrender! (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally "Hands high!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The word Hände is the plural form of Hand.
Did you know?
- In a non-criminal context, the word hoch is used in the phrase Hoch die Tassen!, which is a common way to say 'Cheers!' while raising glasses.
- In a physical struggle or a police encounter, a German officer might yell Hände über den Kopf! instead of Hände hoch! This specific instruction means 'Hands over the head', which provides more precise tactical control than simply saying 'Hands high'.
- While most German words smoothed out their consonant changes over time, hoch is one of the few isolated cases that preserved an ancient alternation between 'h' and 'ch' sounds.
Examples in context
- Hände hoch! Dies ist ein Überfall.Hands up! This is a robbery.This sentence shows how to use Hände hoch! in the context of a robbery.Tatoeba #1576042 by Zaghawa, translation #1296486 by Shishir
- Hände hoch!Put your hands up!This sentence is a simple command using Hände hoch!Tatoeba #379828 by MUIRIEL, translation #265926 by CK
- Wenn Sie bitte Ihre Hände hochheben könnten?If you could please raise your hands?
- Hey Leute, alle Arme nach oben!Hey guys, everyone hands up!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are playing a pretend game of police and robbers.
- HannahHände hoch! Ich habe dich geschnappt.Hands up! I caught you.
- JulianMist, du hast mich erwischt!Darn, you got me!
- HannahJetzt geh langsam in die Ecke.Now go slowly into the corner.
- JulianAlles klar, Polizistin Hannah.All right, Officer Hannah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hands up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hoch, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
