German Luggage & Packing Vocabulary
This set covers the words you need at the airport, train station, or campsite: der Koffer, der Rucksack, and das Gepäck, plus the compounds built around them like Gepäckband and Kofferanhänger. One trap for English speakers: das Gepäck is uncountable in German, so you can't say "ein Gepäck" for "a piece of luggage" the way you might in English; you'd say "ein Gepäckstück" or just name the item, like der Koffer or die Reisetasche.
Learn these 18 words
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All 18 words
luggage
Wollen Sie Ihr Gepäck mitnehmen? — Do you want to take your luggage with you?
plural: die Koffer
suitcase
Ist das Ihr Koffer? — Is that your suitcase?
to unpack
Packst du bitte den Koffer aus? — Will you please unpack the suitcase?
pack up
Soll ich Ihnen das als Geschenk einpacken? — Should I wrap that as a gift for you?
has packed up
Sie hat ihre Koffer für die Reise hat eingepackt. — She has packed her suitcases for the trip.
plural: die Kofferräume
car trunk
Die Koffer passen nicht in den Kofferraum. — The suitcases don't fit in the trunk.
- packenA2
to pack
Ich muss noch meinen Koffer packen. — I still need to pack my suitcase.
packs up
Pack bitte die Handtücher ein! — Please pack up the towels!
plural: die Pakete
package, parcel
Bringst du bitte das Paket zur Post? — Will you please bring the package to the post office?
plural: die Reisetaschen
travel bag
Die Reisetasche passt nicht ins Auto. — The travel bag doesn't fit in the car.
plural: die Rollkoffer
rolling suitcase
Er zieht seinen Rollkoffer durch den Flughafen. — He pulls his rolling suitcase through the airport.
plural: die Rucksäcke
backpack
Ich nehme lieber einen Rucksack als einen Koffer mit. — I prefer to take a backpack rather than a suitcase.
plural: die Zelte
tent
Im Sommer schlafen wir manchmal im Zelt. — In summer we sometimes sleep in a tent.
luggage storage
Wir lassen unser Gepäck in der Gepäckaufbewahrung. — We leave our luggage at the luggage storage.
plural: die Gepäckbänder
baggage carousel
Wir warten am Gepäckband auf unsere Koffer. — We wait at the baggage carousel for our suitcases.
plural: die Gepäckwagen
luggage cart
Er schiebt den Gepäckwagen durch den Flughafen. — He pushes the luggage cart through the airport.
plural: die Kofferanhänger
luggage tag
Schreib deinen Namen auf den Kofferanhänger. — Write your name on the luggage tag.
plural: die Koffer
suitcase
Der Koffer ist schwer und schwer zu tragen. — The suitcase is heavy and difficult to carry.
How to learn this set
Notice how many words here are built on Koffer: Kofferraum (car trunk), Kofferanhänger (luggage tag), Rollkoffer (rolling suitcase). Once you know der Koffer is masculine, all these compounds inherit its gender, so you're really only memorizing one gender for four words. The same trick works with Gepäck: Gepäckaufbewahrung, Gepäckband, and Gepäckwagen are all neuter-free compounds that take der or die based on their own ending, but the root meaning carries straight through. For the verbs, drill packen against its two prefixed forms, einpacken and auspacken, as a pair: pack in versus pack out, since that prefix logic (ein- for wrapping up, aus- for taking out) shows up constantly elsewhere in German.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Gepäck and Koffer in German?
Gepäck is the general, uncountable word for luggage as a whole, like English 'baggage.' Koffer means a specific suitcase, a countable item you can point to. You check in Gepäck at the airport, but you pack a Koffer.
Is Kofferraum related to Koffer?
Yes, Kofferraum literally means 'suitcase room' and is the standard word for a car's trunk or boot, even if you're not putting suitcases in it. It's one of many German compounds built from Koffer, alongside Kofferanhänger (luggage tag) and Rollkoffer (rolling suitcase).
What's the difference between einpacken and packen in German?
Packen means to pack in general, like packing a bag. Einpacken adds the sense of wrapping something up or getting everything packed and ready to go, and it's also the word Germans use for wrapping a gift.
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