With plenty of grammatical rules (and exceptions) to get to grips with, German is known for being a challenging and complex language.
So, for a little something different, we’ve complied some of the most entertaining common compound nouns (where two words have simply been stuck together to create a new one)…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/