Snap it, share it, frame it—whether it’s on your wall or your phone, Germans call it a Foto. It’s one of the most familiar and widely used nouns in both casual and professional conversation.

The noun Foto means photo or photograph, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You'll hear it everywhere—from family albums to police reports, Instagram posts to passport applications.

It’s a neuter noun, so we say das Foto.

Pronunciation

Foto is pronounced [FOH-toh], just like the English “photo” but with German clarity.

• Both “o”s are long and round,

• Each syllable is clean and distinct—FOH + TOH.

It’s crisp, easy to remember, and internationally recognizable.

Example sentences:

• Ich habe gestern viele schöne Fotos gemacht.
  I took lots of beautiful photos yesterday.

• Kannst du mir das Foto schicken?
  Can you send me the photo?

Nuance and usage tips

Foto is short for Photographie, which is still used in formal or artistic contexts (spelled Fotografie in modern German). But in everyday life, Foto is far more common.

Contexts include:

• Everyday speech:
  Urlaubsfotos – vacation photos
  Passfoto – passport photo
  ein Foto machen – to take a photo

• Police & documentation:
  Fahndungsfoto – police sketch / mugshot
  Tatortfoto – crime scene photo

• Media & art:
  Modefoto – fashion photograph
  Fotowettbewerb – photo competition

Its antonym? None in a literal sense, though Video might serve as a contrast in some media contexts.

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Das Foto ist wirklich gut gelungen.
  The photo turned out really well.

• Accusative: Ich habe das Foto sofort gelöscht.
  I deleted the photo right away.

• Dative: Mit dem Foto konnte ich mich endlich bewerben.
  With the photo, I was finally able to apply.

• Genitive: Wegen des Fotos wurde er erkannt.
  Because of the photo, he was identified.

Neuter case pattern: das, das, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Fotograf(in) – photographer

• Fotografie – photography

• Lichtbild – formal word for photo (used on ID documents)

• Fotoapparat – camera (slightly old-fashioned; today mostly Kamera)

• Schnappschuss – candid shot / snapshot

• Selfie – yes, Germans use this too!

Fun linguistic note:
Foto is a borrowed word from English, but it’s been fully “Germanized” in spelling and usage. The original English “photograph” came from Greek: photos (light) + graphé (writing/drawing)—so Foto literally means “light drawing.”

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

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

Alternate translations note:
In very formal or legal contexts, you might see Lichtbild instead of Foto, especially on government IDs. For artistic photography, Fotografie (the discipline) may be more appropriate. But for everyday snapshots, selfies, and image-sharing, Foto is the word you want.

Ready for two more German words of the day? Do you know how to say driver's license or guest in German?