When learning German, one of the most common questions is: Is this word a noun or not? Fortunately, many German nouns have typical endings that make them easy to recognize. In many cases, the ending even tells you whether the article is der, die, or das.
In this article, you will learn the most important German noun endings, see practical examples, and discover how they can help you read, understand, and learn German more efficiently.
Ending -ung
Almost every word ending in -ung is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Zeitung (newspaper)
- die Wohnung (apartment)
- die Übung (exercise)
Remember:
Words ending in -ung are almost always nouns.
Ending -heit
Almost every word ending in -heit is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Freiheit (freedom)
- die Gesundheit (health)
- die Sicherheit (security, safety)
Ending -keit
Almost every word ending in -keit is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Möglichkeit (possibility)
- die Freundlichkeit (kindness)
- die Sauberkeit (cleanliness)
Ending -schaft
Almost every word ending in -schaft is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Freundschaft (friendship)
- die Mannschaft (team)
- die Landschaft (landscape)
Ending -ion
Almost every word ending in -ion is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Information (information)
- die Nation (nation)
- die Diskussion (discussion)
Ending -tät
Almost every word ending in -tät is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Universität (university)
- die Aktivität (activity)
- die Qualität (quality)
Ending -ik
Almost every word ending in -ik is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Musik (music)
- die Grammatik (grammar)
- die Politik (politics)
Ending -ei
Almost every word ending in -ei is a feminine noun (die).
Examples:
- die Bäckerei (bakery)
- die Polizei (police)
- die Partei (political party)
Ending -er
Many words ending in -er are masculine nouns (der), especially professions and people.
Examples:
- der Lehrer (teacher)
- der Fahrer (driver)
- der Bäcker (baker)
Ending -ling
Almost every word ending in -ling is a masculine noun (der).
Examples:
- der Schmetterling (butterfly)
- der Flüchtling (refugee)
- der Lehrling (apprentice)
Ending -ismus
Almost every word ending in -ismus is a masculine noun (der).
Examples:
- der Tourismus (tourism)
- der Kapitalismus (capitalism)
- der Optimismus (optimism)
Ending -chen
All words ending in -chen are neuter nouns (das).
Examples:
- das Mädchen (girl)
- das Brötchen (bread roll)
- das Häuschen (little house)
Ending -lein
All words ending in -lein are neuter nouns (das).
Examples:
- das Fräulein (young lady, Miss)
- das Büchlein (little book)
- das Kindlein (little child)
Ending -ment
Almost every word ending in -ment is a neuter noun (das).
Examples:
- das Dokument (document)
- das Instrument (instrument)
- das Apartment (apartment)
Ending -tum
Many words ending in -tum are neuter nouns (das).
Examples:
- das Eigentum (property)
- das Christentum (Christianity)
- das Wachstum (growth)
Ending -nis
Most words ending in -nis are neuter nouns (das).
Examples:
- das Ergebnis (result)
- das Ereignis (event)
- das Zeugnis (certificate, report card)
Remember
If a German word ends in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion, -tät, -ik, -ei, -er, -ling, -ismus, -chen, -lein, -ment, -tum, or -nis, it is very likely a noun. Many of these endings even help you recognize the correct article (der, die, or das) immediately.
Conclusion
Learning to recognize common noun endings makes learning German much easier. You can identify new words more quickly, remember the correct articles more easily, and understand texts better. After some practice, you will automatically recognize many German nouns.
If you would like to learn German in a structured and systematic way, my A1 course is designed exactly for that purpose. It includes texts, audio recordings, videos, and many exercises. The course is also available bilingually with English, French, Spanish, Italian, or Russian as the second language.
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