10 traditional types of German jokes
March 7, 2018
According to the cliché, Germans have no sense of humor. The belief has often been spread by English-speaking observers, but perhaps the jokes were simply lost somewhere in cultural translation. Once you have to explain a gag, it obviously loses its comedic power.
The German word for joke is "Witz." The term was derived from Old High German, "wizzi," which means "to know." The term "Witz" is also close to the English word as "wit" — one's ability to quickly perceive and express clever and amusing ideas.
Something that's funny is "witzig," but we can't guarantee these 10 classic types of German jokes are witty enough for you. Click through the gallery above to find out.
Keep in mind that these were the most translatable ones. Your next step will be to understand "Witze" directly in German...
If you want to understand more about German culture through humor, check out the series of cartoons "That's so German."
You'll also find more from Meet the Germans on YouTube or at dw.com/MeettheGermans