Justin Bieber Defends Himself After ‘German’ Controversy

Justin Bieber has taken to his Twitter page to defend himself after being accused of not knowing the word “German.”

When a new video of the Canadian teen star fielding an interview question on New Zealand TV found him fumbling over the word “German,” saying, “We don’t say that in America,” outlets ranging from Vanity Fair to The Huffington Post called him out for his confusion.

“Because I thought this interviewer in NZ said ‘Jewman’ instead of ‘German’ people think I dont know what German is?” Justin Tweeted, referring to his interviewer’s thick accent.

In the clip, the interview asks him, “Bieber – sorry – is German for ‘basketball,’ true or false?” and then showed Justin his note card when the star seemed confused by the word.

The word “basketball” in German is, in fact, “basketball” — not “Bieber.”

Biebs even linked to another clip – one, which he said, proved his familiarity with the European nation and its native tongue.

“Old interview where I count in GERMAN and translate my own name. Guess I know what German is,” he Tweeted. “Guess home schooling is working out. Do your research next time b4 making a lame attempt at hating on a 16 year old.”