Hochdeutsch (lit. "high German") is a phrase in German.

Linguistically and historically, it refers to the High German languages, which developed in the Southern uplands and the Alps.

Hochdeutsch is often used to refer to standard German, a misleading term since it collides with the real meaning. In this meaning, "hoch" refers to "high" in a cultural or educational sense (sometimes pejoratively), while the linguistic term simply refers to the geography of Germany. The term Standarddeutsch is increasingly used. [1]