Why Shouldn't You Translate 'Sharp Knife' Into Latvian? The Viral 'Don't Google' Meme Explained

Every once in a while, a meme goes viral telling viewers not to Google a specific phrase. The latest version of the trend is warning social media users not to Google translate 'sharp knife' into Latvian, suggesting a bizarre and potentially troubling English translation. So what is "sharp knife" in Latvian? Here's what you need to know.

What Does 'Sharp Knife' Translate To In Latvian?

People have been discussing the English translation of "sharp knife" to Latvian online since as early as 2013. The discussions started on Reddit and became increasingly popular in the 2020s, resulting in several viral posts sharing the translation, including a 2020 post to /r/memes that gained over 50,000 upvotes.

To many social media users' surprise, translating "sharp knife" from English to Latvian results in the phrase "ass nazis." Yes, this is the real translation. In Latvian, "ass" means "sharp" and "nazis" means "knife." Go ahead and Google Translate it for yourself, unless you're gonna let some meme tell you what to do.

How Is 'Sharp Knife In Latvian' Used In Memes?

Since going viral in 2020, memes will occasionally go viral referring to the funny translation of "sharp knife" in Latvian. The majority of these are "don't Google" memes, where they discourage the viewer from looking up the translation. In reality, these memes are using reverse psychology to hopefully get the viewer to translate the phrase, completing the joke.

For the full history of translating "sharp knife" into Latvian, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.