The German word for soul is die Seele.
Seele in German can refer to someone’s spirit, inner life, or emotional depth. It appears in religion, literature, music, and even common conversation when expressing something heartfelt or sincere.

It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (download the free illustrated PDF to build a deeper vocabulary).

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a feminine noun: die Seele.
Want help getting noun genders right? This video lesson will give you easy patterns and memory tricks.

Pronunciation:
Seele is pronounced [ZAY-luh]

• “ZAY” rhymes with “day”
• Ends with “luh” as in “luck”
  Two syllables: ZAY-luh

Example sentences

Musik berührt meine Seele.

Music touches my soul.

Sie ist eine gute Seele.

She’s a kind soul.

Nach dem Gespräch fühlte ich meine Seele leichter.

After the conversation, I felt my soul was lighter.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"Ich habe meine Seele ausgeschüttet."

I poured out my soul.

"Er ist eine alte Seele."

He’s an old soul.

"Das ist Balsam für die Seele."

That’s balm for the soul.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Lara: Wie geht’s dir nach dem Streit?
Ben: Ehrlich gesagt… meine Seele ist müde.
Lara: Komm, wir gehen spazieren. Das hilft.
Ben: Gute Idee. Frische Luft tut der Seele gut.

Translation:
Lara: How are you after the argument?
Ben: Honestly… my soul feels tired.
Lara: Come, let’s take a walk. That helps.
Ben: Good idea. Fresh air is good for the soul.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Seele braucht Ruhe.

The soul needs peace.

Accusative:
Ich öffne meine Seele.

I open my soul.

Dative:
Mit der Seele stimmt etwas nicht.

Something is wrong with the soul.

Genitive:
Die Tiefe der Seele ist unermesslich.

The depth of the soul is immeasurable.

Other ways to say soul in German

While Seele is the direct and poetic word for soul in German, some contexts may use Geist (spirit) or Wesen (being/essence), depending on nuance. For emotional depth or psychological well-being, Psyche may appear in more scientific language. But Seele remains the most emotionally resonant and widely used term.

Word variations and tidbits

Seele shows up in many heartfelt phrases like gute Seele (kind soul), einsame Seele (lonely soul), or Reise der Seele (soul’s journey). It’s used in idioms like die Seele baumeln lassen (to relax completely), seelenruhig (serenely), and aus tiefster Seele (from the bottom of one’s soul). In religious contexts, die unsterbliche Seele (immortal soul) is a central concept.

📘 Duden entry for Seele
🎥 Want to nourish your learning Seele by Seele? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns—with meaning, usage, and a printable PDF.

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