
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/