Whether you’re reading the headlines over coffee, wrapping up leftovers, or scanning for job ads—Germans call it a Zeitung. It’s the word for both information and ink-stained fingertips.

The noun Zeitung means newspaper, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It shows up in households, kiosks, online subscriptions, and political conversations.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Zeitung.

Pronunciation

Zeitung is pronounced [TSY-tung].

• Zei rhymes with eye,
• tung ends like tongue, but with a more closed “oo” sound,
• Stress is on the first syllable: ZEI-tung

It’s punchy and rhythmic—like flipping pages or scrolling through headlines.

Example sentences:

• Ich lese jeden Morgen die Zeitung beim Frühstück.
  I read the newspaper every morning at breakfast.
• In der Zeitung stand ein interessanter Artikel über KI.
  There was an interesting article about AI in the newspaper.

Nuance and usage tips

Zeitung comes from Zeit (time) + a now-obsolete suffix -ung, and originally referred to tidings or news of the time.

Common uses include:

1. Printed newspapers
   • Tageszeitung – daily newspaper
   • Sonntagszeitung – Sunday edition
   • Zeitungsverkäufer – newspaper vendor
2. Media and journalism
   • Zeitungsartikel – newspaper article
   • Zeitungsbericht – newspaper report
   • Zeitungsente – false news story ("newspaper duck" – German idiom!)
3. Regional or major publications
   • Die Zeit – weekly newspaper
   • Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
   • Süddeutsche Zeitung – national daily

Its antonym isn’t exact, but Funkstille (radio silence), Unwissenheit (ignorance), or Gerücht (rumor) work contextually.

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Die Zeitung liegt noch draußen im Briefkasten.
  The newspaper is still out in the mailbox.
• Accusative: Ich habe die Zeitung durchgeblättert.
  I flipped through the newspaper.
• Dative: Mit der Zeitung deckte er den Tisch ab.
  He covered the table with the newspaper.
• Genitive: Wegen der Zeitung wurde der Skandal bekannt.
  Because of the newspaper, the scandal became known.

Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Onlinezeitung – online newspaper
• Zeitungsabo – newspaper subscription
• Zeitungsausschnitt – newspaper clipping
• Zeitungsleser – newspaper reader
• Zeitungsstand – newspaper stand
• Zeitungsartikel – article in the paper

Fun idiomatic note:
Zeitungsente ("newspaper duck") is a fun old term for fake news or a misreported story. Its origin is fuzzy, but the duck stuck.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Zeitung

🎥 Learn Zeitung and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Alternate translations note:
For magazine, use Zeitschrift. For tabloid or sensationalist press, Boulevardzeitung is common. But for your standard, article-filled, folded sheet (physical or digital)—Zeitung is the word you want.

Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Zeug means? How about Zigarette? Find out!