German word of the day: Kek

Maybe you don't like something someone stands for or you're just teasing a friend for being a bit silly. You can use the German word Kek to describe someone as a loser or an idiot.

Why do I need to know Kek?

Need to know might be a push, but you may well come across it in German music or you might hear it in friendly (or less friendly) conversation, especially among Gen Z or those who listen to a lot of German hip-hop.

And if it's directed at you, it's helpful to know whether you should feel insulted or not.

What does it mean?

The expression 'Kek' is essentially youth slang and is another way of saying Versager (loser), Loser, Dummkopf (idiot), Trottel (moron), but whether it's perceived as an insult or affectionate depends on your tone of voice.

Where does it come from?

German rapper Bushido was said to be one of the first to use it in his songs in 2002 ('Aggro Teil 2') while the earliest German internet searches around the word date back to 2008, and now it's used widely in the German rap scene.

Bushido has said that he used to be a big fan of online online roleplay game World of Warcraft and that's possibly where the word comes from.

But it has a very different meaning in text chat in the game: it's apparently the equivalent of lol (laugh out loud), coming from the Korean kekeke or ㅋㅋㅋ, which means hahaha. If that's the case, it's unclear how it came to acquire its less positive meaning.

Another theory is that it stems from the Turkish word for cake, Kek, (like the German Keks, biscuit, it's derived from the English), which is possible given German rappers' propensity for using food stuffs to slag each other off (see: Lauch or leek), and it's also used by Turkish rappers.

One thing's for sure though, it's nothing to do with the old German word keck, which can mean sassy, cheeky or bold.

Use it like this

While in German rap, it's used pretty pejoratively, in everyday language, its meaning depends on how it's said.

Like we mentioned above, it can either come across as pretty disparaging or, if you say it with a friendly tone of voice among friends, it can be ironic. 

So, in the same way as it's perfectly acceptable to call someone a loser in an affectionate manner in (British) English, Kek can also be used this way among friends in Germany. 

Just be careful who you say it to!

For example: 

Paris ist die Hauptstadt von Deutschland.

Das stimmt doch nicht du Kek!

Paris is the capital of Germany.

No, that's not right, you idiot!

Or as Bushido raps: Du bist nur ein Kek, der, wenn er rappt, die Stimme tiefer stellt

You're just a loser who lowers his voice when he raps.

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