Today's words · 🎨 Painting & art
10 German words for a day at the art gallery
A2B1B2
Next time you stand in front of a painting in Germany, you'll have more to say than “nice”.
On a rainy Sunday you visit Museum Island in Berlin. The labels are full of words like Gemälde, Porträt and Malerei, your German friend is chatting excitedly about the painters, and you just stare at the pictures.
Today's ten words are about art and painting. With them you can read the labels, talk about the works you like and even borrow a brush in a painting class. 🎨
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Kunst
[KOONST]art(Pl. die Künste)
📌 Ich interessiere mich für moderne Kunst.
→ I'm interested in modern art.
💡 From können (can) 🎨 Art is a skill you can do — like English cunning!
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Künste.
malen
[MAH-len]to paint(malt – hat gemalt)
📌 Meine Tochter malt gern.
→ My daughter likes painting.
💡 malen is painting with colour 🖌️ Think ‘make a mark’ with paint.
⚠ Drawing lines with a pencil is zeichnen. Perfect: hat gemalt.
die Malerei
[mah-luh-RYE]painting (the art)(Pl. die Malereien)
📌 Sie interessiert sich für moderne Malerei.
→ She's interested in modern painting.
💡 malen + -erei = the activity of painting 🖼️ Words ending in -ei are die.
Bonus Oil painting = die Ölmalerei
der Künstler
[KUENST-ler]artist(Pl. die Künstler (f: die Künstlerin))
📌 Viele Künstler leben in Berlin.
→ Lots of artists live in Berlin.
💡 Kunst + -ler = someone who makes art 👩🎨 Watch the u turning into ü!
Bonus Female: die Künstlerin
der Maler
[MAH-ler]painter; (house) painter, decorator(Pl. die Maler (f: die Malerin))
📌 Der Maler streicht morgen unsere Wohnung.
→ The decorator is painting our flat tomorrow.
💡 malen + -er = someone who paints 🧑🎨 An artist — or a house painter!
⚠ Der Maler kommt morgen. is more likely the decorator than an artist.
das Gemälde
[guh-MEL-duh]painting(Pl. die Gemälde)
📌 Das Gemälde wurde für mehrere Millionen Euro versteigert.
→ The painting was auctioned for several million euros.
💡 ge- + malen = something painted, a work of art 🖼️ The a becomes ä.
Bonus In everyday speech people also just say das Bild.
die Zeichnung
[TSYKH-noong]drawing(Pl. die Zeichnungen)
📌 Mein Sohn hat mir eine Zeichnung geschenkt.
→ My son gave me a drawing.
💡 Zeichen (sign) + -ung = a drawing ✏️ English token is related.
Bonus The verb is zeichnen: Ich zeichne gern.
die Skulptur
[skoolp-TOOR]sculpture(Pl. die Skulpturen)
📌 Im Park stehen mehrere moderne Skulpturen aus Stahl.
→ Several modern steel sculptures stand in the park.
💡 Latin sculpere (to carve) 🗿 Like English sculpture, but stress the end.
Bonus A sculptor is der Bildhauer (Bild + hauen: someone who chisels out a figure).
das Porträt
[por-TRAY]portrait(Pl. die Porträts)
📌 Der Künstler malte ein Porträt der Königin.
→ The artist painted a portrait of the queen.
💡 It came from French, so swallow the final t 🙂
Bonus A self-portrait = das Selbstporträt
der Pinsel
[PIN-zel]brush, paintbrush(Pl. die Pinsel)
📌 Für die Ecken nehme ich lieber einen kleinen Pinsel.
→ For the corners I prefer a small brush.
💡 Latin for ‘little tail’ 🐾 A brush tip looks like a tail — and English pencil shares the root!
Bonus A paint roller for walls is die Farbrolle.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Even small German towns often have an art museum (Kunstmuseum) or exhibition hall (Kunsthalle). Many museums close on Mondays, so check opening days before you go.
Lots of cities hold a ‘Long Night of Museums’ (Lange Nacht der Museen). With one ticket you can visit many museums late into the night, and it's very popular.
And every few years, the city of Kassel hosts documenta, a huge contemporary art exhibition. For those months the whole city feels like a gallery. 🖼️
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You're drawing a house with a pencil, using lines. Which verb fits?
- ① malen
- ② zeichnen
- ③ streichen
Show the answer
② zeichnen
Drawing lines with a pencil is zeichnen; painting with colour is malen.
Think of a painting you love and say it in German: Das ist mein Lieblingsgemälde! 🎨
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🏛️ Architecture