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25 hilarious German Compound Nouns you won’t want to miss
25 hilarious German Compound Nouns you won’t want to miss
Last updated: May 28th, 2025
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With plenty of grammatical rules (and exceptions) to get to grips with, German is known for being a challenging and complex language. That said, German linguists can also be surprised and delighted by the language. One example is compound nouns, where two words have simply been stuck together to create a new one.
We’ve complied some of the most entertaining common compound nouns…some of which are more literal than others.
German Compound Words
German Word
Literal Translation
English Word
das Drachenfutter<br>dragon fodder<br>apology gift (given to a spouse)
das Erdferkel<br>earth piglet<br>aardvark
das Faultier<br>lazy animal<br>sloth
die Fledermaus<br>flutter m ouse<br>bat
das Flugzeug<br>fly thing<br>aeroplane
der Glückspilz<br>lucky mushroom<br>lucky devil
die Glühbirne<br>glow pear<br>light bulb
die (pl) H andschuhe<br>hand shoes<br>gloves
der Kummerspeck<br>sorrow bacon<br>excess weight gained from comfort eating
der Ohrwurm<br>ear worm<br>catchy tune
das Meerschweinchen<br>little sea pig<br>guinea pig
die Nacktschnecke<br>naked snail<br>slug
die Naschkatze<br>treat cat<br>person with a sweet tooth
der Pechvogel<br>bad luck bird<br>unlucky person
der Regenschirm<br>rain shield<br>umbrella
der Scheinwerfer<br>shine t hrower<br>headlight
die Schildkröte<br>shield t oad<br>tortoise
das Stachelschwein<br>spike p ig<br>porcupine
der Staubsauger<br>dust s ucker<br>vacuum
das Stinktier<br>stink animal<br>skunk
der Tintenfisch<br>ink fish<br>Squid
der Vokuhila ( vorne kurz, hinten lang)<br>short front, long back<br>mullet
die Warteschlange<br>waiting s nake<br>queue
die Wunderkerze<br>wonder candle<br>sparkler
das Zahnfleisch<br>tooth meat<br>gum
Sources:
http://www.uberlin.co.uk/the-hilarity-of-compounds/
https://lingualista.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/funny-german-compound-words/
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