Learn fun or interesting compound words in German. Build fluency with personalized exercises, chats, and video recommendations.
German has many compound words that combine two or more words into one to create descriptive nouns, adjectives, or verbs. Some are fun and interesting:
• Fernweh: Nature: longing to travel and explore faraway places (literally "far-sickness") • Kummerspeck: Food: excess weight from emotional overeating ("grief bacon") • Totzeit: Time: deathwatch — the period immediately after death in which the soul departs • Fremdschämen: Expression: feeling embarrassed for someone else's actions (the literal translation is "stranger-shame") • Ohrwurm: Popular music: earworm — catchy tune stuck in your head • Backpfeifengesicht: Informal: punchable face—referring to someone whose face makes you want to punch them • Schnitzelbank: Folk song: humorous song common in Swiss and southern German folk music • Geschirrspüler: Household: dishwasher ("dish-washer") • Schadenfreude: Feeling: pleasure at others' misfortune
Related Topics: German compounds, German idiomatic expressions, German culture