How do you say Ball in German?

A ball used in games is usually der Ball, as in Fußball or Tennisball. Die Kugel means “sphere” or a solid, ball-shaped object, such as a bowling ball; it also means a scoop of ice cream, a bullet or a round Christmas ornament. The right translation of “ball” depends on the object and context.

Kugel is pronounced /ˈkuːɡl̩/, with a long u like “oo” in English “food” and a hard g as in “go.” The ending is unstressed.

Kugel is feminine, so it’s die Kugel. The plural is die Kugeln. If gender feels tricky, my gender video lesson will make things much easier to grasp.

Kugel is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German - not just because of its literal meaning, but because of all the everyday situations where it appears.

Examples in all four cases:

Nominative:Die Kugel ist perfekt rund.The sphere is perfectly round.

Accusative:Ich nehme eine Kugel Eis.I’ll take a scoop of ice cream.

Dative:Beim Kegeln hat er mit der Kugel alle neun getroffen.While nine-pin bowling, he knocked down all nine pins with the ball.

Genitive:Die Farbe der Kugel gefällt mir.I like the color of the ball.

Real-World Tips for Learners

Kugel means “sphere” or a solid, ball-shaped object. It is used in expressions such as eine Kugel Eis (a scoop of ice cream) and die Bowlingkugel (a bowling ball). A soccer or tennis ball is a Ball. In cafés and ice cream shops, you order eine Kugel Eis (a scoop of ice cream) - which is one of the most common uses. But it can also refer to a bullet, a globe, or even a Christmas ornament.