German Describing People Vocabulary
This set covers physical appearance: build, hair, coloring, and the words you reach for when describing a stranger or a character. You'll get core adjectives like blond, dünn, and hässlich, plus sharper ones like bullig (beefy) and glatzköpfig (bald-headed). One trap: dick doesn't just mean "fat," it also means "thick," so a dicke Suppe is a thick soup, not an overweight one.
Learn these 64 words
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All 64 words
- aussehenA1
look/appear
Das sieht schön aus. — That looks beautiful.
- bekanntA1
known/famous
Picasso ist sehr bekannt. — Picasso is very famous.
plural: die Frauen
woman; Mrs.
Das ist Frau Becker. — That is Mrs. Becker.
- bequemA2
comfortable
Das Sofa ist sehr bequem. — The sofa is very comfortable.
- blondA2
blonde
Lisa hat blonde Haare. — Lisa has blonde hair.
- dünnA2
thin
Das Buch ist sehr dünn. Es hat nur 40 Seiten. — The book is very thin. It has only 40 pages.
- hässlichA2
ugly
Ich finde das Kleid hässlich. Es gefällt mir nicht. — I think the dress is ugly. I don't like it.
- schwachA2
weak
Er ist krank und schwach. — He is sick and weak.
plural: die Bärte
beard
John trägt jetzt einen Bart. — John is now wearing a beard.
drunk, intoxicated
Wenn Sie betrunken Auto fahren, verlieren Sie Ihren Führerschein. — If you drive drunk, you'll lose your license.
- blassB1
pale, wan
Du siehst ganz blass aus. Bist du krank? — You look very pale. Are you sick?
plural: die Helden
hero
Er spielt gern den Helden. — He likes to play the hero.
plural: die Heldinnen
heroine
Sie ist die Heldin des Tages. — She is the heroine of the day.
- hübschB1
pretty, attractive
Wir haben eine hübsche Wohnung gefunden. — We found a pretty apartment.
plural: die Könige
king
Der spanische König ist in Deutschland zu Besuch. — The Spanish king is visiting Germany.
- spitzB1
pointed, sharp
Der Bleistift ist nicht spitz. — The pencil is not sharp.
ambidextrous
Er ist beidhändig und kann gut schreiben. — He is ambidextrous and can write well.
plural: die Buckel
humpback / hump / hunch / bulge
Der alte Mann hatte einen Buckel. — The old man had a humpback.
- buckligB2
hunchbacked
Der alte Mann war leicht bucklig. — The old man was slightly hunchbacked.
- bulligB2
beefy / brawny
Der Boxer hat einen bulligen Körper. — The boxer has a beefy build.
goosebumps
Mir lief eine Gänsehaut über den Rücken. — I got goosebumps down my spine.
bald-headed
Der glatzköpfige Mann trug gerne eine Mütze. — The bald-headed man liked to wear a cap.
googly eyes
Das Kind hatte große Glubschaugen vor Schrecken. — The child had googly eyes in fear.
- handfestB2
solid / tangible
Das ist ein handfestes Argument. — That is a solid argument.
sideburns / mutton chops
Er trug lange Koteletten wie in den sechziger Jahren. — He wore long sideburns like in the sixties.
googly eyes / bulging eyes
Der Mann starrte mit Kulleraugen auf die Szene. — The man stared at the scene with bulging eyes.
plural: die Menschen
people
Der Mensch braucht Schlaf und Nahrung zum Leben. — People need sleep and food to live.
plural: die Nichtsnutze
no-good / good-for-nothing
Dieser Nichtsnutz wird nie etwas Sinnvolles leisten. — This good-for-nothing will never accomplish anything worthwhile.
- prallB2
plump / bulging
Die prallen Früchte sehen köstlich aus. — The plump fruits look delicious.
- sabbernB2
to drool / slobber / salivate
Der Hund sabberte, wenn er das Futter sah. — The dog drooled when he saw the food.
plural: die Schlingel
rascal / rogue / wretch
Der Schlingel stahl Äpfel aus dem Garten. — The rascal stole apples from the garden.
- stämmigB2
stocky / burly
Er hat eine stämmige, muskulöse Statur. — He has a stocky, muscular build.
plural: die Staturen
stature
Seine kräftige Statur imponierte allen im Fitnessstudio. — His strong stature impressed everyone at the gym.
plural: die Teints
complexion
Ihr heller Teint war auffällig. — Her light complexion was striking.
nondescript / unimpressive
Er war ein unscheinbarer Mann ohne Besonderheiten. — He was a nondescript man without special features.
thickset / stout
Der untersetzite Mann war kurz und breit. — The thickset man was short and wide.
plural: die Versager
a failure / deadbeat / flop
Der Versager konnte kein einziges Projekt erfolgreich abschließen. — The failure could not successfully complete a single project.
malformed / overgrown / deformed
Das verwachsene Blatt wuchs seltsam. — The malformed leaf grew oddly.
plural: die Wuschelköpfe
a mop of curly hair / fuzzy head
Das Kind hatte einen wilden Wuschelkopf. — The child had a wild mop of curly hair.
- zerzaustB2
disheveled / tousled / windswept
Sein zerzaustes Haar sieht wild aus. — His disheveled hair looks wild.
- anmutigC1
graceful
Sie bewegte sich anmutig über die Bühne. — She moved gracefully across the stage.
impressive / considerable / handsome
Das ist eine ansehnliche Sammlung von Kunstwerken. — That is an impressive collection of artworks.
emaciated / gaunt / cadaverous
Der ausgemergelte Mann war sehr schwach. — The emaciated man was very weak.
charisma / radiation / emission (wenig benutzt)
Ihre Ausstrahlung faszinierte das Publikum. — Her charisma fascinated the audience.
- fahlC1
pale / sallow
Sein Gesicht sah fahl und angespannt aus. — His face looked pale and tense.
- flaumigC1
fluffy / downy
Das flaumige Gefieder des Kükens ist weich. — The downy plumage of the chick is soft.
- hagerC1
gaunt / lean / thin
Der alte Mann war hager und knochig. — The old man was gaunt and bony.
plural: die Hünen
a giant / colossus
Der Hüne war über zwei Meter groß. — The giant was over two meters tall.
- kehligC1
throaty / gutteral
Seine kehlige Stimme klang rau und tief. — His throaty voice sounded hoarse and deep.
white as chalk
Vor Schock war sie kreidebleich geworden. — She had turned white as chalk from shock.
- ledrigC1
leathery
Seine ledrig wirkende Haut zeigte sein Alter. — His leathery-looking skin revealed his age.
chubby-cheeked
Das pausbäckige Kind sah sehr niedlich aus. — The chubby-cheeked child looked very cute.
palatial / magnificent / opulent
Sein prunkvoll verzierter Mantel beeindruckt. — His sumptuously decorated coat impresses.
lanky
Der schlaksige Junge wirkt sehr dünn. — The lanky boy looks very thin.
snow-white (adjective)
Sein schlohweißes Haar fiel sofort auf. — His snow-white hair was immediately noticeable.
dripping sweat
Der schweißtriefende Läufer kam ins Ziel. — The sweat-dripping runner reached the finish line.
callous (Adj)
Seine schwielige Hand zeigte harte Arbeit. — His callous hand showed hard work.
- speiübelC1
nauseous
Nach der Fahrt war mir speiübel. — After the drive I felt nauseous.
- struppigC1
scrubby / shaggy
Sein struppiges Haar sah ungepflegt aus. — His shaggy hair looked unkempt.
- tatterigC1
doddery / quivery / shaky doddery = move in a feeble or unsteady way, especially because of old age
Der tatterige alte Mann konnte kaum gehen. — The doddery old man could barely walk.
pinched
Er hatte einen verkniffenen Gesichtsausdruck. — He had a pinched facial expression.
plural: die Vetteln
a hag / harridan harridan = a strict, bossy, or belligerent old woman
Die alte Vettel schrie die Kinder an. — The old hag yelled at the children.
weather-beaten
Der alte Kapitän sah wettergegerbt und erfahren aus. — The old captain looked weather-beaten and experienced.
- wortkargC1
taciturn / uncommunicative
Der wortkarge Mann sprach kaum ein Wort. — The taciturn man hardly spoke a word.
How to learn this set
Several words here build directly off a root noun: der Buckel gives you bucklig, and der Bart could remind you that other -ig adjectives often come from body-part nouns the same way. Drill blass, blond, dünn, and dick together since they're the four adjectives you'll actually string into one sentence when describing someone's look. For der Held and die Heldin, practice the pair together since it's a clean model for other -in feminine forms you'll meet elsewhere.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dick and dünn in German?
Dick means thick, fat, or heavy, and dünn means thin. Both are used for people and objects, so a dicker Mantel is a thick coat and ein dünner Mann is a thin man.
Does dick always mean fat in German?
No. Dick often just means thick, as in a dicke Wand (a thick wall) or ein dickes Buch (a thick book). Context tells you whether it's about body size or physical thickness.
What does bucklig mean and is it rude?
Bucklig means hunchbacked, describing someone with a Buckel (a hump on the back). It's a plain descriptive word rather than slang, but like any physical description of a disability, use it carefully and only when relevant.
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