21 December 2025
How do you say Girl in German?
Every language learner meets this word early - but girl in German comes with a twist. It’s a simple word with an odd grammatical surprise that confuses even advanced students.
The German word is das Mädchen. Yes, neuter, even though it refers to a female person. That’s because of the ending -chen, a diminutive suffix that always makes a noun grammatically neuter - no matter what it describes. The plural is die Mädchen, with no change in form. Need help wrapping your head around that? My gender video lesson explains this and other quirks clearly and quickly.
Mädchen is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and shows up in stories, conversations, songs, and news every day.
Examples in all four cases:
Nominative:Das Mädchen lacht laut.The girl is laughing loudly.
Accusative:Ich sehe das Mädchen im Park.I see the girl in the park.
Dative:Ich gebe dem Mädchen ein Geschenk.I’m giving the girl a present.
Genitive:Der Hund des Mädchens ist klein.The girl’s dog is small.
Real-World Tips for Learners
Even though Mädchen is grammatically neuter, both es and sie can refer back to the girl as personal pronouns. Es follows grammatical gender; sie refers to the female person. Es remains normal in modern German.
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Das Mädchen ist neu. Sie kommt aus Berlin.(The girl is new. She’s from Berlin.)
The article remains das. A relative pronoun agrees with the noun’s neuter gender: das Mädchen, das hier wohnt - the girl who lives here. This differs from choosing es or sie as a personal pronoun.
You’ll often hear Mädchen in:
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fairy tales: Es war einmal ein kleines Mädchen…
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cultural phrases: typisches Mädchenverhalten (typical girl behavior)
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media: Mädchenzeitschrift (girls’ magazine), Mädchenband (girl band)
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school settings, where the word is frequently used when dividing up groups: Die Mädchen fangen an.
Also note the related word mädchenhaft - girlish, often describing behavior, fashion, or style.
Its counterpart is der Junge (boy), which follows the n-declension (den Jungen, dem Jungen). And remember: das Mädchen may sound grammatically odd, but it’s completely standard.
Beginner dialogue using Mädchen:
A: Wer ist das neue Mädchen?B: Sie heißt Clara und kommt aus Wien.A: Who is the new girl?B: Her name is Clara and she’s from Vienna.
Now it’s your turn. Think of your answer and say it aloud using Mädchen.
“Kennst du ein Mädchen, das mutig oder besonders ist - und warum?”Do you know a girl who is brave or special - and why?
Take a moment and picture someone you’d describe that way.
German Word of the DayNow you know how to say girl in German - and why das Mädchen is a great reminder that grammar doesn’t always follow logic.
Download the free illustrated PDF of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and keep building a vocabulary that includes both rules and surprises.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?Check out Magie - and learn how language casts emotional spells.Or revisit Majestät - for regal speech, titles, and irony.
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