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Ossi (East Germans)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by FAThomssen (talk | contribs) at 14:22, 7 February 2009 (The word is still used very much - even by young people and North Germans!). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other uses of the word, see Ossi.


Ossi is an informal name for citizens of the (former) German Democratic Republic (East Germany), especially since reunification. It is derived from the German word ost, which means east. The equivalent for (former) West Germans is Wessi, which is derived from the word west. Both terms are considered disparaging by some, their existence has been interpreted as being a reflection of the differences in the cultures and mentality of the old East Germany and old West Germany. Most Germans consider them to be just an adjective/informal way to quickly differentiate between the two entities that form Germany today and came from reunification, when the terms were first used.

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