Pigs, bears and lucky charms: 10 German animal words

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In Germany, when you're lucky, you say you ‘had a pig’. Really!

You're on a weekend bike ride through the German countryside. There are cows and sheep in the fields, chickens in the yard, and a child shouts ‘Guck mal, ein Pferd!’ And you can't remember the German word for horse.

Today's ten words are basic animal names, from farm animals to zoo favourites. Along the way you'll pick up some fun animal expressions Germans use all the time. 🐄

🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks

das Tier

[teer]animal

(Pl. die Tiere)

📌 Hast du ein Haustier?

→ Do you have a pet?

💡 Same root as English deer, which once meant any animal 🦌

Bonus A pet is das Haustier (house + animal)

der Vogel

[FOH-gel]bird

(Pl. die Vögel)

📌 Am Morgen singen die Vögel.

→ The birds sing in the morning.

💡 Same root as English fowl 🐦 The V sounds like an F.

Bonus Du hast einen Vogel! = You're nuts! (playful)

das Pferd

[pfairt]horse

(Pl. die Pferde)

📌 Sie reitet jeden Samstag auf ihrem Pferd.

→ She rides her horse every Saturday.

💡 Start with a puff: pf! 🐴 Like a horse snorting.

Bonus When you're amazed: Ich glaub, mich tritt ein Pferd!

die Kuh

[koo]cow

(Pl. die Kühe)

📌 Die Kuh gibt Milch.

→ The cow gives milk.

💡 Same root as English cow 🐄 Moo, koo.

⚠ The plural changes the vowel: die Kühe

das Schwein

[shvine]pig

(Pl. die Schweine)

📌 Auf dem Bauernhof gibt es Kühe und Schweine.

→ There are cows and pigs on the farm.

💡 Same root as English swine 🐷 As in Schweinshaxe, the famous pork knuckle.

Bonus Schwein haben = to be lucky

das Schaf

[shahf]sheep

(Pl. die Schafe)

📌 Auf der Wiese hinter dem Dorf stehen viele Schafe.

→ There are lots of sheep in the meadow behind the village.

💡 Same root as English sheep 🐑 Just a German accent away.

Bonus das schwarze Schaf = the black sheep (of the family)

das Huhn

[hoon]chicken, hen

(Pl. die Hühner)

📌 Meine Oma hat zehn Hühner im Garten.

→ My grandma keeps ten chickens in her garden.

💡 A relative of English hen 🐔 ‘Hoon’ — the noise of a busy hen house.

⚠ Chicken as food is das Hähnchen: ein halbes Hähnchen

der Löwe

[LER-vuh]lion

(Pl. die Löwen)

📌 Der Löwe ist der König der Tiere.

→ The lion is the king of the animals.

💡 From Latin leo 🦁 Related to the star sign Leo.

⚠ It takes -n in other cases: den/dem Löwen

der Elefant

[eh-leh-FANT]elephant

(Pl. die Elefanten)

📌 Der Elefant hat große Ohren und einen langen Rüssel.

→ The elephant has big ears and a long trunk.

💡 From Greek elephas 🐘 English ph becomes f.

⚠ It takes -en in other cases: den/dem Elefanten

der Bär

[bair]bear

(Pl. die Bären)

📌 Der Bär ist das Wappentier von Berlin.

→ The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin.

💡 Sounds just like English bear 🐻 And it's Berlin's mascot.

⚠ It takes -en in other cases: den/dem Bären

🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture

Berlin's symbol is the bear. It's on the city's coat of arms, and you'll spot brightly painted bear statues all over town. No Berlin souvenir shop is complete without one.

In Germany the pig is a lucky animal. That's why ‘Schwein haben’ means to be lucky, and at New Year people sometimes give little marzipan pigs (Glücksschwein) as gifts.

In Alpine regions, autumn can bring the Almabtrieb, when cows come down from the mountain pastures to the village. The cows are often decorated with flowers, and it's quite a sight. 🐄

✅ Quick quiz

Q. Your friend just found a 50-euro note on the street. What do you say?

① Du hast einen Vogel!
② Du hast Schwein gehabt!
③ Du bist ein schwarzes Schaf!

Show the answer

② Du hast Schwein gehabt!
Schwein haben means to be lucky, which is perfect for someone who found money.

Name all ten animals out loud today, with their articles. Then try to use ‘Schwein gehabt!’ on someone tomorrow! 🍀

🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🐶 Pets