Dedicated to Paul, who told Glen to google this · Paul-Approved ✓
Egal.
/e·ˈɡaːl/ — German
“Whatever. I don't care. It doesn't matter.”
A word that means “it doesn't matter” now has its own page with etymology, philosophy, a 10-language translation guide, and a German profanity intensity scale.
Paul, this is your fault.
2
Syllables
~500
Years in use
10+
Languages with equivalents
1
Person who asked for this page
Where It Comes From
Egal comes from the French égal, which comes from the Latin aequalis, meaning “equal.” The same root gives us the English words equal, equalize, and equity.
But German took this perfectly dignified Latin word about equality and fairness and turned it into the verbal equivalent of a shrug. “Das ist mir egal” doesn't mean “that is equal to me” — it means “I could not possibly care less about this.”
The linguistic journey from aequalis (Roman law, justice, mathematical precision) to egal (German teenager when asked to clean their room) is one of the great downgrades in the history of language.
The German “I Don't Care” Intensity Scale
German has at least 10 ways to say “I don't care,” ranked by escalating indifference. This is not a joke.
“I don't care.”
The baseline. Conversational. Polite enough.
“Completely don't care.”
Emphasis added. You've been asked twice and you're done.
“Totally don't care.”
Mixing German and Latin for maximum indifference.
“Plank/board. (As in: it's a plank to me.)”
'Ist mir Latte.' Has nothing to do with coffee. Everything to do with not caring.
“I really don't care.”
The 'doch' adds a layer of 'why are you still talking about this.'
“Sausage. (As in: it's sausage to me.)”
'Das ist mir Wurst' = 'That's sausage to me.' Peak German. Peak humanity.
“Absolutely couldn't care less.”
Origin unclear. Possibly from 'Schnur' (string) — as insignificant as a piece of string.
“Fart-level don't care.”
Yes, 'Furz' means fart. This is real. Germans are direct people.
“I don't give a s***.”
The nuclear option. Appropriate among friends. Inappropriate at work. Perfect in traffic.
“I aggressively don't care.”
Three words fused into one. German efficiency applied to profanity.
“I Don't Care” Around the World
Every language has figured out how to express indifference. The human need to communicate “this does not matter to me” is universal.
Whatever
The default. Teenage to boardroom. Universal.
Égal
Same word, same Latin root. The French invented not caring.
Me da igual
Literally 'it gives me equal.' Poetic indifference.
Non mi importa
Accompanied by a hand gesture that says more than words ever could.
別に (Betsu ni)
One word. No explanation offered. Devastating.
Мне всё равно
Mne vsyo ravno. 'To me, everything is equal.' Russian indifference hits different.
Tanto faz
'So much it does.' Brazilian shrug energy.
مش فارقة (Mish far’a)
'Not a difference.' Clean, efficient, final.
Skitsamma
Literally 'shit-same.' The Swedes don't sugarcoat indifference.
ఌసస (Sangwan eopseo)
'No concern.' K-drama energy when the lead turns away.
The Philosophy of Not Caring
Humanity's greatest thinkers have spent thousands of years trying to articulate what Germans capture in two syllables.
Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca built an entire philosophy around emotional indifference to external events. 'Egal' is Stoicism compressed into two syllables.
"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." — Marcus Aurelius
Non-attachment. The Second Noble Truth says suffering comes from clinging. 'Egal' is releasing the grip. The Buddha was the original egal.
"In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go."
Camus wrote an entire book (The Stranger) about a man who doesn't care about anything. Meursault's whole personality is 'egal.' He literally says 'it doesn't matter' about everything, including his own mother's death.
"Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why." — Albert Camus, The Stranger
Wu wei — effortless action. Don't force. Don't resist. Let things be what they are. Egal is wu wei for people who don't have time to read the Tao Te Ching.
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow." — Lao Tzu
Therapists now teach 'radical acceptance' — acknowledging reality without judgment. It's literally 'egal' with a $200/hour price tag.
"It is what it is." — Every therapist, eventually
When to Use “Egal” (A Field Guide)
A practical reference for deploying egal in daily life.
A Note for Paul
You texted me “google the word egal!” and I built you an entire page with etymology, a profanity intensity scale, translations in 10 languages, connections to Stoicism and Buddhism, a practical field guide, and structured data for Google.
A normal person would have googled it, said “huh, cool,” and moved on with their life. But you didn't send that text to a normal person. You sent it to Glen Bradford. And now it's a page on my website. Forever.
So thank you, Paul. This is your legacy. A monument to the German word for “whatever.”
How do I feel about building an entire page about a word that means “I don't care”? Egal.
✅ Paul's Review: “I like the scale from 1 to 10 for the different ‘Egal.’ It's very accurate.”
Accuracy confirmed by an actual German speaker. Built with Claude Code.
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Read moreDisclaimer: This page was built because Paul texted Glen “google the word egal.” The author does not speak German fluently. The profanity intensity scale is approximate. “Das ist mir Wurst” really does mean “that is sausage to me” and that is real and beautiful. No Germans were consulted in the making of this page but they probably wouldn't care. Because: egal.