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 Word |
Literal Translation |
English Word |
| das Drachenfutter | dragon fodder | apology gift (given to a spouse) |
| das Erdferkel | earth piglet | aardvark |
| das Faultier | lazy animal | sloth |
| die Fledermaus | flutter mouse | bat |
| das Flugzeug | fly thing | aeroplane |
| der Glückspilz | lucky mushroom | lucky devil |
| die Glühbirne | glow pear | light bulb |
| die (pl) Handschuhe | hand shoes | gloves |
| der Kummerspeck | sorrow bacon | excess weight gained from comfort eating |
| der Ohrwurm | ear worm | catchy tune |
| das Meerschweinchen | little sea pig | guinea pig |
| die Nacktschnecke | naked snail | slug |
| die Naschkatze | treat cat | person with a sweet tooth |
| der Pechvogel | bad luck bird | unlucky person |
| der Regenschirm | rain shield | umbrella |
| der Scheinwerfer | shine thrower | headlight |
| die Schildkröte | shield toad | tortoise |
| das Stachelschwein | spike pig | porcupine |
| der Staubsauger | dust sucker | vacuum |
| das Stinktier | stink animal | skunk |
| der Tintenfisch | ink fish | Squid |
| der Vokuhila (vorne kurz, hinten lang) | short front, long back | mullet |
| die Warteschlange | waiting snake | queue |
| die Wunderkerze | wonder candle | sparkler |
| das Zahnfleisch | tooth meat | gum |
Sources:
http://www.uberlin.co.uk/the-hilarity-of-compounds/
https://lingualista.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/funny-german-compound-words/
