German Meat & Fish Vocabulary
This set covers meat, sausage, poultry and fish as food, from basics like der Fisch and das Fleisch to specific cuts like die Querrippe and das Schnitzel. One thing that trips up English speakers right away: German has at least four regional words for the same bird on your plate, das Hähnchen, das Hendel, das Poulet, and the misspelled-looking das Hünchen, depending on whether you're in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
Learn these 22 words
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All 22 words
plural: die Fische
fish
Ich esse gern Fisch. Fleisch mag ich nicht. — I like to eat fish. I don't like meat.
meat
Fleisch mag ich nicht. — I don't like meat.
plural: die Hähnchen
chicken
Ein Hähnchen mit Pommes bitte! — A chicken with fries, please!
plural: die Schinken
ham
Ich möchte gern ein Schinkenbrot. — I would like a ham sandwich.
plural: die Rinder
cattle, beef
Ich esse nur Fleisch vom Rind. — I only eat beef.
plural: die Würste
sausage
Eine Wurst mit Pommes, bitte. — A sausage with fries, please.
ground meat, mince
Geben Sie mir bitte 500 g Faschiertes. — Please give me 500g of ground meat.
ground meat
Geben Sie mir bitte 500g Hackfleisch. — Please give me 500g of ground meat.
plural: die Hendl
chicken
Zum Mittagessen gibt es Hendl mit Reis. — There is chicken with rice for lunch.
plural: die Poulets
chicken
Zum Mittagessen gibt es Poulet mit Reis. — For lunch there is chicken with rice.
plural: die Schnitzel
cutlet
Bitte ein Schnitzel mit Kartoffeln und Salat. — Please a cutlet with potatoes and salad.
plural: die Dörrfleische
jerky
Dörrfleisch ist eine traditionelle Schweizer Spezialität. — Jerky is a traditional Swiss specialty.
freshly-caught
Der fangfrische Fisch schmeckt am besten. — The freshly-caught fish tastes the best.
plural: die Flundern
flounder
Die Flunder ist ein beliebter Speisefisch. — Flounder is a popular food fish.
plural: die Hähnchen
chicken
Das Hähnchen mit Kartoffeln ist ein beliebtes Gericht. — Chicken with potatoes is a popular dish.
plural: die Hummerscheren
lobster claws
Die Hummerscheren sind die beste Delikatesse. — Lobster claws are the finest delicacy.
plural: die Hünchen
chicken
Das Hünchen ist zu trocken gekocht worden. — The chicken was cooked too dry.
plural: die Kutteln
tripe
Kutteln sind eine Spezialität in vielen europäischen Ländern. — Tripe is a specialty in many European countries.
plural: die Langusten
crawfish
Die Languste ist teuer und schmeckt köstlich. — Crawfish is expensive and tastes delicious.
plural: die Schinken
ham
Zum Frühstück essen wir Schinken. — For breakfast we eat ham.
plural: die Terrinen
terrine / weird loaf thing
Die Terrine aus Schweinefleisch ist eine Spezialität. — The terrine made from pork is a specialty.
plural: die Querrippen
short ribs
Die Querrippe vom Rind ist sehr aromatisch. — The short ribs from the beef are very flavorful.
How to learn this set
Notice that das Hackfleisch and das Faschierte mean the same thing, ground meat, but the first is standard German and the second is Austrian, so pick one based on where you're headed and don't worry about learning both actively. The regional chicken words (Hähnchen, Hendel, Poulet, Hünchen) are worth grouping together and drilling as a set rather than separately, since you'll only ever need the one used where you live or travel. Also pay attention to gender clusters: die Wurst, die Flunder, die Languste, die Terrine and die Querrippe are all feminine, which is a useful pattern since most food-cut and dish nouns in German skew feminine. For das Rind, remember it means both the live animal (cattle) and shows up in compounds for beef, like Rindfleisch, so don't confuse it with das Fleisch alone.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Hähnchen, Hendel, and Poulet?
They all mean chicken as food. Hähnchen is standard German, Hendel is used in Austria and Bavaria, and Poulet is the Swiss German term.
Is Faschiertes the same as Hackfleisch?
Yes, both mean ground or minced meat. Faschiertes is the Austrian word, Hackfleisch is used in Germany.
Why is Rind used for both cattle and beef?
Das Rind refers to the live animal, but it also functions as the root for beef in compounds like Rindfleisch. On its own, especially on a menu, Rind usually just means beef.
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