The German word for sister is die Schwester.
Schwester in German refers to your biological or adopted sister, and is also used in healthcare—Krankenschwester means “nurse” in traditional usage. It’s one of the first words you’ll need when describing family or medical settings.

It’s also part of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (download the full illustrated PDF for free).

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a feminine noun: die Schwester.
Want an easier way to remember genders? This video lesson shows you patterns that make sense.

Pronunciation:
Schwester is pronounced [SHVES-tuhr]

• “SHVES” like “sh vest”

• “tuhr” like “stir”
  Two syllables: SHVES-tuhr

Example sentences

Meine Schwester wohnt in München.

My sister lives in Munich.

Sie ist eine sehr liebe Schwester.

She’s a very kind sister.

Die Krankenschwester kommt gleich.

The nurse will be here shortly.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"Hast du Geschwister?"

Do you have siblings?

"Ich habe zwei Brüder und eine Schwester."

I have two brothers and one sister.

"Meine kleine Schwester nervt mich manchmal."

My little sister gets on my nerves sometimes.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Noah: Und du? Hast du Geschwister?
Mira: Ja, eine Schwester – sie ist drei Jahre älter.
Noah: Versteht ihr euch gut?
Mira: Meistens! Aber früher haben wir oft gestritten.

Translation:
Noah: And you? Do you have siblings?
Mira: Yes, a sister—she’s three years older.
Noah: Do you get along well?
Mira: Mostly! But we used to argue a lot.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Schwester ist schon da.

The sister is already here.

Accusative:
Ich sehe meine Schwester jeden Tag.

I see my sister every day.

Dative:
Mit meiner Schwester gehe ich einkaufen.

I go shopping with my sister.

Genitive:
Das Zimmer meiner Schwester ist ordentlich.

My sister’s room is tidy.

Other ways to say sister in German

Besides Schwester, you’ll occasionally hear affectionate diminutives like Schwesterchen (little sister). In medical contexts, Krankenschwester has become less common, replaced by Pflegekraft or Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegerin. For religious communities, Schwester can also refer to a nun.

Word variations and tidbits

Schwester appears in phrases like kleine Schwester (little sister), große Schwester (older sister), and Zwillingsschwester (twin sister). In healthcare, Stationsschwester refers to a head nurse. German has the idiom wie eine Schwester sein (to be like a sister), often used for deep friendships. In religious life, nuns are referred to as Schwester Maria, Schwester Anna, etc.

📘 Duden entry for Schwester
🎥 Want to learn German like you were raised with it? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns—with friendly examples and a printable PDF.

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