How do you say “Think outside the box” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is um die Ecke denken, which literally means “to think around the corner”. English speakers use think outside the box to mean to look for ideas beyond the usual approach. A German idiom for approaching a problem indirectly or inventively. It can also suggest solving a tricky puzzle. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
um die Ecke denken
/ʊm diː ˈɛkə ˈdɛŋkn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to think around the corner”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
The German image asks you to think around a corner instead of beyond a box. Both phrases encourage an answer that is not immediately obvious.
It works best when there is a problem to solve. Merely knowing about a wider subject is not quite the same thing.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
We thought outside the box and turned the empty shop into a classroom.
German
Wir haben um die Ecke gedacht und den leeren Laden in ein Klassenzimmer verwandelt.
English
Try thinking outside the box instead of buying another expensive machine.
German
Versuch, um die Ecke zu denken, statt noch eine teure Maschine zu kaufen.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01