How do you say “It's not rocket science” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is Das ist keine Raketenwissenschaft., which literally means “That is not rocket science.”. English speakers use it's not rocket science to mean that something is not difficult to understand or do. German uses the same comparison. “Kein Hexenwerk” is another familiar option. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
Das ist keine Raketenwissenschaft.
/das ɪst ˈkaɪnə ʁaˈkeːtn̩ˌvɪsn̩ʃaft/
- Literal meaning
- “That is not rocket science.”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German uses the same rocket-science comparison. A translation that looks word-for-word can be natural when both languages use the expression.
“Kein Hexenwerk” is another familiar option, comparing the task with magic. Both can encourage someone or sound impatient; neither means the work needs no care.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity5 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
Das ist kein Hexenwerk.
Literally: “That is no witchcraft.”
An established alternative with a different image.
Das ist nicht besonders kompliziert.
Literally: “That is not particularly complicated.”
Plain wording with less risk of sounding mocking.
In context
English
Follow the three steps; it's not rocket science.
German
Befolge die drei Schritte; das ist keine Raketenwissenschaft.
English
Don't worry, setting it up isn't rocket science.
German
Keine Sorge, das einzurichten ist kein Hexenwerk.
Related expressions
- What “It's not rocket science” means in English
- A piece of cake, Extremely easy.
Last updated 2026-09-16