J’achète un vélo illégal pour mon anniversaire

What does “wesh” mean in French?

“Wesh” is the ubiquitous interjection of young French speech. It works as a casual hello (“Wesh!” = “Yo!”), as a filler for surprise or annoyance, and as a way to flag in-group, streetwise speech. It carries strong “banlieue” and hip-hop associations, so it’s friendly among peers but out of place in formal settings — exactly the kind of word that tells native ears how someone talks.

It comes from Algerian Arabic “wach” / “wesh rak?” (roughly “how are you?”), brought into French through 1980s North-African-rooted hip-hop. By 2009 it had earned an entry in Le Petit Robert as an interjection. You’ll also hear “wesh wesh” or “wesh alors” doubling down on the vibe. It has even crossed the Channel into British youth slang — proof of how far a single borrowed syllable can travel.