Whether you're planning a trip, reading a news article, or just dreaming of waves and sea air, the word coast in German is a must-have in your vocabulary. It appears in travel writing, weather reports, and even metaphors.
The word is Küste — pronounced “KÜS-tuh” (with a rounded ü, similar to the French u in lune).
Küste is feminine, so it's die Küste. The plural is die Küsten. Not sure how gender works? My gender video lesson breaks it all down simply and visually.
Küste is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it's the go-to word when talking about shorelines, both in real-world geography and imaginative storytelling.
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Examples in all four cases:
Nominative:
Die Küste ist atemberaubend.
The coast is breathtaking.
Accusative:
Wir fahren an die Küste.
We're going to the coast.
Dative:
An der Küste weht ein starker Wind.
There’s a strong wind at the coast.
Genitive:
Die Schönheit der Küste ist unbeschreiblich.
The beauty of the coast is indescribable.
Real-World Tips for Learners
Küste is the standard word for coast or shoreline. If you're traveling in Germany, you'll hear it in reference to both the Nordsee (North Sea) and the Ostsee (Baltic Sea) — two places where Germans go for holiday.
You'll also see it used in compound words and expressions:
die Nordseeküste / Ostseeküste – the North Sea/Baltic Sea coast
die italienische Küste – the Italian coast
entlang der Küste – along the coast
an der Küste leben – to live on the coast
die Küste verlassen – to leave the coast
Fun fact: The verb ankommen (to arrive) often gets paired with Küste in both literal and narrative ways:
Das Schiff kam an der Küste an. – The ship arrived at the coast.
And in idioms, it’s sometimes used metaphorically to mean returning from far away or reaching land after confusion:
Endlich wieder an der Küste! – Finally back on solid ground!
Beginner dialogue using Küste:
A: Wo machst du dieses Jahr Urlaub?
B: An der Küste, in Norddeutschland.
A: Where are you going on vacation this year?
B: To the coast, in northern Germany.
Now it’s your turn. Think of your answer and say it aloud using Küste.
“Welche Küste würdest du gern besuchen – und warum?”
Which coast would you like to visit — and why?
Say your answer out loud in German and include Küste in the sentence.
German Word of the Day
Now you know how to say coast in German — and how die Küste will take your language skills to the shores of real conversation.
Download the free illustrated PDF of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and keep expanding your active vocabulary.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Check out Labor — a word for science, diagnostics, and creativity.
Or revisit Lampe — essential for daily life and descriptions of light and space.