Top 100 Nouns in the German Language : Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering German Vocabulary

Learning German can be exciting and challenging. One of the key steps in becoming fluent is building a strong vocabulary foundation — especially nouns. German nouns are unique because each noun has a gender (der, die, das) and changes form depending on the case. Knowing the most common nouns helps you communicate effectively and boosts your confidence.

In this blog, we’ll explore the Top 100 German nouns, complete with their articles and English meanings. Plus, I’ll share some tips on how to learn and use them!

Why Focus on Nouns?

Nouns are the backbone of any language. They name people, places, things, concepts, and more. In German:

• Every noun starts with a capital letter — even in the middle of sentences.
• Nouns have three genders:
  • Masculine (der)
  • Feminine (die)
  • Neuter (das)
• Gender affects the article and adjective endings.
• Learning nouns in context helps you master grammar and pronunciation.

The Top 100 German Nouns List

No.	German Noun	Article	English Meaning	Gender
1	der Mann	der	man	Masculine
2	die Frau	die	woman	Feminine
3	das Kind	das	child	Neuter
4	der Tag	der	day	Masculine
5	die Zeit	die	time	Feminine
6	das Jahr	das	year	Neuter
7	die Stadt	die	city	Feminine
8	das Haus	das	house	Neuter
9	der Freund	der	friend (male)	Masculine
10	die Freundin	die	friend (female)	Feminine
11	das Auto	das	car	Neuter
12	der Weg	der	way, path	Masculine
13	die Schule	die	school	Feminine
14	das Buch	das	book	Neuter
15	der Mensch	der	person, human	Masculine
16	die Arbeit	die	work, job	Feminine
17	das Wasser	das	water	Neuter
18	der Abend	der	evening	Masculine
19	die Frage	die	question	Feminine
20	das Geld	das	money	Neuter
21	der Hund	der	dog	Masculine
22	die Katze	die	cat	Feminine
23	das Essen	das	food	Neuter
24	der Lehrer	der	teacher (male)	Masculine
25	die Lehrerin	die	teacher (female)	Feminine
26	das Leben	das	life	Neuter
27	der Vater	der	father	Masculine
28	die Mutter	die	mother	Feminine
29	das Mädchen	das	girl	Neuter
30	der Freundschaft	die	friendship	Feminine
31	die Familie	die	family	Feminine
32	das Problem	das	problem	Neuter
33	der Ort	der	place	Masculine
34	die Sprache	die	language	Feminine
35	das Zimmer	das	room	Neuter
36	der Stuhl	der	chair	Masculine
37	die Tür	die	door	Feminine
38	das Fenster	das	window	Neuter
39	der Tisch	der	table	Masculine
40	die Straße	die	street	Feminine
41	das Jahr	das	year	Neuter
42	der Monat	der	month	Masculine
43	die Woche	die	week	Feminine
44	das Wochenende	das	weekend	Neuter
45	der Lehrer	der	teacher	Masculine
46	die Arbeit	die	work	Feminine
47	das Geld	das	money	Neuter
48	der Freund	der	friend	Masculine
49	die Idee	die	idea	Feminine
50	das Auto	das	car	Neuter
51	der Kopf	der	head	Masculine
52	die Hand	die	hand	Feminine
53	das Auge	das	eye	Neuter
54	der Fuß	der	foot	Masculine
55	die Nase	die	nose	Feminine
56	das Herz	das	heart	Neuter
57	der Körper	der	body	Masculine
58	die Krankheit	die	illness, disease	Feminine
59	das Medikament	das	medicine	Neuter
60	der Arzt	der	doctor (male)	Masculine
61	die Ärztin	die	doctor (female)	Feminine
62	das Krankenhaus	das	hospital	Neuter
63	der Zug	der	train	Masculine
64	die Bahn	die	railway	Feminine
65	das Flugzeug	das	airplane	Neuter
66	der Flughafen	der	airport	Masculine
67	die Reise	die	trip, journey	Feminine
68	das Hotel	das	hotel	Neuter
69	der Urlaub	der	vacation	Masculine
70	die Stadt	die	city	Feminine
71	das Dorf	das	village	Neuter
72	der Berg	der	mountain	Masculine
73	die Landschaft	die	landscape	Feminine
74	das Meer	das	sea	Neuter
75	der See	der	lake	Masculine
76	die Sonne	die	sun	Feminine
77	das Wetter	das	weather	Neuter
78	der Regen	der	rain	Masculine
79	die Wolke	die	cloud	Feminine
80	das Land	das	country, land	Neuter
81	der Freund	der	friend	Masculine
82	die Freundin	die	girlfriend	Feminine
83	das Kind	das	child	Neuter
84	der Sohn	der	son	Masculine
85	die Tochter	die	daughter	Feminine
86	das Baby	das	baby	Neuter
87	der Lehrer	der	teacher	Masculine
88	die Schule	die	school	Feminine
89	das Buch	das	book	Neuter
90	der Stift	der	pen	Masculine
91	die Zeitung	die	newspaper	Feminine
92	das Telefon	das	telephone	Neuter
93	der Computer	der	computer	Masculine
94	die Lampe	die	lamp	Feminine
95	das Bett	das	bed	Neuter
96	der Kühlschrank	der	refrigerator	Masculine
97	die Küche	die	kitchen	Feminine
98	das Badezimmer	das	bathroom	Neuter
99	der Spiegel	der	mirror	Masculine
100	die Uhr	die	clock, watch	Feminine

How to Use This List Effectively

1. Learn with Articles: Always learn nouns with their definite article (der, die, das). For example, instead of just learning Mann, learn der Mann. This makes gender memorization easier.
2. Practice in Sentences: Don’t just memorize words — use them in sentences. For example, Der Mann liest ein Buch (The man is reading a book).
3. Use Flashcards: Tools like Anki or Quizlet are perfect for drilling vocabulary, especially with articles included.
4. Engage with Media: Listen to German music, watch German movies, or read children’s books that use simple vocabulary.

Gender Tips: How to Guess a Noun’s Gender

Though there are exceptions, these rules help:

• Masculine (der): Days, months, seasons, weather elements (e.g., der Montag, der Januar, der Sommer, der Regen)
• Feminine (die): Numbers, cars, flowers, fruits (e.g., die Eins, die Rose, die Banane)
• Neuter (das): Most diminutives ending with -chen or -lein, metals, young people and animals (e.g., das Mädchen, das Kind, das Baby)

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Cultural Note: Why Gender Matters

German articles and gender impact sentence structure and comprehension. They also reflect cultural nuances and grammar patterns you won’t find in English. Mastering noun genders can make your German sound more natural and fluent.

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Bonus: Common Plural Forms

Most German nouns form plurals in different ways:

• der Mann → die Männer
• die Frau → die Frauen
• das Kind → die Kinder

Knowing plural endings helps with understanding and speaking fluently.

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Conclusion

Learning the top 100 German nouns is an essential step for anyone serious about mastering the language. By memorizing these with their articles and practicing in context, you’ll build a solid foundation for conversation, reading, and writing.

Ready to dive deeper? Start with these nouns today and watch your German skills grow!

Top 100 Verbs in German language