German Sea Life & Fish Vocabulary
This set covers marine animals and the body parts and actions specific to them, from der Kabeljau and der Kalmar to less everyday words like der Schlammspringer, a mudskipper. One trap for English speakers: der Tümmler and der Schweinswal both get translated as porpoise, but German also splits ray into der Rochen (general) and der Stachelrockenn (stingray specifically), a distinction English collapses into one word plus an adjective.
Learn these 21 words
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All 21 words
plural: die Fische
fish
Der Fisch schwimmt im klaren Wasser. — The fish swims in clear water.
plural: die Kabeljaue
cod
Der Fischer fing einen großen Kabeljau. — The fisherman caught a large cod.
plural: die Kalmars
squid
Der Kalmar schwimmt schnell durch das Meer. — The squid swims quickly through the sea.
plural: die Miesmuscheln
a mussel
An der Küste fanden wir frische Miesmuscheln zum Essen. — On the coast we found fresh mussels to eat.
plural: die Nixen
a mermaid / water nymph
In der Mythologie ist die Nixe eine Wassernymphe. — In mythology, the mermaid is a water nymph.
plural: die Riesentintenfische
giant squid
Der Riesentintenfisch lebt in den tiefsten Meeren der Welt. — The giant squid lives in the deepest seas in the world.
plural: die Rochen
ray / stingray
Der Rochen gleitet elegant über den Meeresboden. — The ray glides elegantly across the sea floor.
plural: die Seekühe
manatee
Die Seekuh ist ein großes Meeressäugetier. — The manatee is a large marine mammal.
plural: die Seepferdchen
seahorse
Das kleine Seepferdchen versteckte sich zwischen den Pflanzen. — The little seahorse hid among the plants.
plural: die Seewespen
box jellyfish / sea-wasp
Die Seewespe ist eine giftige Qualle. — The box jellyfish is a venomous jellyfish.
plural: die Stachelrochen
stingray
Der Stachelrochen lebt am Meeresgrund. — The stingray lives on the sea floor.
plural: die Blaslöcher
a blowhole (whale)
Der Wal atmet durch sein Blasloch. — The whale breathes through its blowhole.
plural: die Fangarme
tentacle (wenig benutzt)
Der Oktopus nutzt jeden Fangarm geschickt. — The octopus uses every tentacle skillfully.
(sea) spray / foam / froth
Der Gischt spritzte über die Hafenmauer. — The sea spray splashed over the harbor wall.
plural: die Kopffüßer
cephalopod
Der Kopffüßer nutzt seine Tentakel zur Jagd. — The cephalopod uses its tentacles to hunt.
- laichenC1
to spawn
Die Fische laichen jedes Frühjahr in den Flüssen. — The fish spawn every spring in the rivers.
plural: die Schlammspringer
a mudskipper
Der Schlammspringer lebt im Wattenmeer. — The mudskipper lives in the mudflats.
- schuppigC1
scaly / flaky
Die schuppige Haut des Fisches schimmert. — The scaly skin of the fish shimmers.
plural: die Schweinswale
porpoise
Der Schweinswal ist ein Meeressäugetier. — The porpoise is a marine mammal.
plural: die Spritzlöcher
a spray hole (e.g., on a dolfin)
Das Spritzloch des Delfins ist oben auf dem Kopf. — The spray hole of the dolphin is on top of the head.
plural: die Tümmler
a porpoise (wenig benutzt)
Der Tümmler ist eine Art Delfin. — The porpoise is a type of dolphin.
How to learn this set
Notice how many words here are compounds built from a base you already know: Seekuh (sea + cow), Seepferdchen (sea + little horse), Riesentintenfisch (giant + ink-fish), Schlammspringer (mud + jumper). Once you spot the pattern, you can guess the gender from the last component almost every time, since Kuh is die, Pferdchen is das, Fisch is der. Drill Blasloch and Spritzloch together since they're near-synonyms for a whale's or dolphin's blowhole, and pair schuppig with Fisch in a phrase like "ein schuppiger Fisch" so the adjective sticks to a concrete image rather than floating on its own.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between der Rochen and der Stachelrochen?
Rochen is the general word for ray, covering species like manta rays. Stachelrochen specifically means stingray, the kind with the barbed tail (Stachel means spike or barb).
Is der Tümmler the same as der Schweinswal?
Both can mean porpoise, but Tümmler is also used loosely for dolphins in older or regional usage, while Schweinswal is the precise biological term for the harbor porpoise. Schweinswal is the safer choice if you mean the actual porpoise species.
Why is Seekuh feminine if it means manatee, not a cow?
Seekuh is a compound of See (sea) plus Kuh (cow), and it simply inherits the gender of Kuh, which is die. German often builds animal names this way, and the gender comes from the base word, not the animal's biology.
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