'Aura' is German youth word of the year 2024

When teens in Germany and around the world use the word "aura," it is not a wholly new take on the original, which is the distinctive atmosphere or essence surrounding a person.

But Generation Z and Generation Alpha have given aura a slightly new twist by using the term as a positive expression of being cool or doing good deeds.

The 2024 German Youth word of the year, which was announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Saturday, can also be expressed as "aura points."

"Your aura is the sum of your aura points," explained TikTok teacher of youth slang, Mr Lindsay, in a recent post. "What is the cool energy that [someone] puts off and what is it you could do, or not do, that's going to add or take away from your aura?"

The contemporary use of the term among youth worldwide is said to originate from a 2020 article in The New York Times about star Dutch footballer Virgil Van Dijk: "Solutions Are Expensive. An Aura Is Priceless."

"Aura" subsequently became a buzzword in sport before being adopted in youth parlance. These days it's common to quantify someone's aura.

'Talahon' and 'Schere' a very close second and third

The second and third placed youth words this year included "Talahon," which is derived from Arabic and originally means "come here."

"Talahon" has been embraced on social media like TikTok by young people of color who often wear fake designer clothes branded under Gucci or Lacoste, and perform rap or boxing moves to songs by German rappers like Hassan.

But the word Talahon can be a derogatory term among some mostly white TikTok groups, who use it to mock people based on their appearance and behavior, and sometimes stigmatizing them as migrants and criminals.

Meanwhile, the latest take on the word "Schere," or scissors, comes from the gaming world and expresses an admission of guilt or a confession.

A still from a TikTok video shows youth engaging in talahon in CologneImage: @talasohn/TikTok

Kids keen to show off their new slang

Voting for the youth slang word of year reached new heights in 2024, with submissions increasing by 11% compared to the previous year for the final stage of the ballot.

"Active participation by young people to shape their own language is increasing," said Patricia Kunth, marketing manager at Langenscheidt and project manager of the youth word campaign. 

The Langenscheidt publishing house has been choosing the youth word of the year since 2008, but young people between the ages of 11 and 20 have exclusively decided since 2020.

"We are once again experiencing how lively youth language is," said Nikolas Hoenig, head of marketing at Langenscheidt. "It was the right decision to put the choice in the hands of young people."

Last year, the youth word of the year was "Goofy," with Germany's younger generation using the term to tell their friends they find them silly or eccentric.

Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier