Those little “Gänsefüßchen”… what are they called again?

I want to say the German word for “quotation marks”… and my brain suddenly packs its bags and leaves the room.

It happens to me all the time.

In my panic, I usually reach for Gänsefüßchen or Tüddelchen. They’re adorable. Maybe that’s why I never remember the official term (Anführungszeichen!).

And here’s something fun.
German and English quotation marks don’t even look the same.

German starts at the bottom (99) and ends at the top (66).
English keeps both at the top. First 66. Then 99.

Take a really close look… „this“ rather than “this.”

Cute detail. Many people don’t know it.

And if you want to impress your English-speaking friends, drop “quotation marks” or “inverted commas” into the conversation.
Works like a charm.

As a trained bilingual secretary, I’ve always had a soft spot for punctuation.
What about you? Do these tiny marks matter to you too?