The German word for piece is das Stück.
It’s small, but mighty—used in food, music, shopping, and storytelling. Whether it’s a slice of cake or a piece of advice, you’ll hear Stück in German every day.

It’s also one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (free illustrated PDF included!).

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a neuter noun: das Stück.
Want to remember these genders without stress? This video lesson makes it stick.

Pronunciation:
Stück is pronounced [shtook]

• Rhymes with “book” but starts with “sht”
  One syllable: SHTOOK

Example sentences

Ich hätte gern ein Stück Kuchen.

I’d like a piece of cake.

Hast du das neue Stück im Theater gesehen?

Did you see the new play at the theater?

Nimm dir ein Stück Papier.

Take a piece of paper.

Nuance and usage tips

🍰 Food and physical items

• ein Stück Brot/Käse/Kuchen – a piece of bread/cheese/cake

• ein großes Stück – a big piece

• ein kleines Stück – a small piece

🎭 Art and culture

• Theaterstück – stage play

• Musikstück – musical piece

• ein klassisches Stück – a classical work (e.g. by Mozart)

🛍️ Shopping and quantity

• zwei Stück bitte – two pieces, please

• fünf Stück kosten zehn Euro – five pieces cost ten euros

• Einzelstück – one-of-a-kind item

🧩 Abstract and figurative

• ein Stück Glück – a bit of luck

• ein Stück Geschichte – a piece of history

• ein gutes Stück Arbeit – a fair bit of work

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"Willst du noch ein Stück Pizza?"

Want another slice of pizza?

"Wir verkaufen nur noch zehn Stück."

We only have ten pieces left.

"Das ist ein tolles Stück Musik!"

That’s a beautiful piece of music!

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Leo: Möchtest du noch ein Stück Schokolade?
Mira: Nur ein kleines. Ich hab schon zwei gegessen.
Leo: Kein Problem. Ich esse den Rest!
Mira: Typisch!

Translation:
Leo: Do you want another piece of chocolate?
Mira: Just a small one. I’ve already had two.
Leo: No problem. I’ll eat the rest!
Mira: Typical!

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Das Stück fehlt.

The piece is missing.

Accusative:
Ich nehme das letzte Stück.

I’ll take the last piece.

Dative:
Gib mir bitte ein Stück von dem Kuchen.

Please give me a piece of the cake.

Genitive:
Die Farbe des Stücks ist verblasst.

The color of the piece has faded.

Other ways to say piece in German

While Stück is the most common way to say piece in German, there are a few other words you might hear in specific contexts:

• Teil – “part” or “component,” used when something is part of a whole (Ersatzteil = spare part)

• Scheibe – “slice,” often used for bread, sausage, or cheese

• Schnitte – informal term for a slice, often of cake or bread

• Segment – used for citrus fruit or in technical contexts

But when in doubt, Stück will almost always work.

Word variations and tidbits

• Kuchenstück – piece of cake

• Stückzahl – quantity / item count

• Meisterstück – masterpiece

• Glanzstück – showpiece / highlight

• Stück für Stück – piece by piece

🧠 Fun fact: Stück is used in theaters to refer to plays, which is why German programs list each Theaterstück by name. A lustiges Stück is a comedy, while a trauriges Stück is a tragedy.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Stueck
🎥 Want to learn every last Stück of core German vocabulary? Our free video course covers the 1000 most essential nouns—bit by bit, example by example.

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