Whether you’re waking up in the morning, rinsing off after the gym, or just avoiding the bathtub—Germans call it a Dusche. It’s a daily ritual, a bathroom essential, and sometimes even a lifesaver in a heatwave.
The noun Dusche means shower, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It refers to both the physical appliance and the act of showering.
It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Dusche.
Pronunciation
Dusche is pronounced [DOO-shuh].
- The “Du” sounds like “doo” in “do,”
- The “sche” ends softly, like “shuh,”
- The stress is on the first syllable: DU-sche.
It’s short, splashy, and easy to remember—just like a quick rinse.
Example sentences:
- Die Dusche im Hotel war wunderbar heiß.
The shower in the hotel was wonderfully hot. - Ich gehe schnell unter die Dusche.
I’m quickly jumping in the shower.
Nuance and usage tips
Dusche is used for:
- The appliance or space
- Regendusche – rain shower
- Duschkabine – shower stall
- Dusche mit Massagedüsen – shower with massage jets
- The act of showering
- unter die Dusche gehen – to go take a shower
- eine kalte Dusche – a cold shower (literally or figuratively!)
- tägliche Dusche – daily shower
Its antonym? Bad (neuter, das Bad)—as in bath or bathtub—could work in contrast, especially when talking about preferences or appliances.
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Die Dusche funktioniert nicht richtig.
The shower isn’t working properly. - Accusative:
Ich nehme jeden Morgen die Dusche.
I take a shower every morning. - Dative:
Mit der Dusche bin ich sehr zufrieden.
I’m very happy with the shower. - Genitive:
Wegen der Dusche kam es zu einem Wasserschaden.
Because of the shower, there was water damage.
Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- duschen – to shower (verb)
- Duschgel – shower gel
- Duschkopf – shower head
- Duschvorhang – shower curtain
- Duschbad – shower bath / combo unit
- eine kalte Dusche erleben – to have a rude awakening / unpleasant surprise
Fun usage note:
In idiomatic speech, eine kalte Dusche can mean more than just icy water:
Die Kritik war wie eine kalte Dusche.
“The criticism was a cold shower” (i.e., harsh or sobering).
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Dusche
🎥 Learn Dusche and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Drehbuch means? How about Botschafter? Find out!
Alternate translations note:
If you're referring to showering in a general sense, duschen (verb) is more common:
Ich habe geduscht. – “I showered.”
But when referring to the object or space itself, or the act as a noun, Dusche is the word you need.