Whether it’s in your coffee, in your bloodstream, or on your favorite pastry—Germans call it Zucker. It’s a sweet little word that shows up everywhere from bakeries to medical charts.
The noun Zucker means sugar, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll hear it in kitchens, cafés, health clinics, and affectionate nicknames.
It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Zucker.
Pronunciation
Zucker is pronounced [TSOO-ker].
- The “Z” is pronounced like “ts,”
- The “u” is short, like in “put,”
- The “ker” is a soft, clear “kuhr,”
- Stress is on the first syllable: TSU-cker
It’s light, bouncy, and—like the substance itself—very easy to overuse.
Example sentences:
- Ich nehme keinen Zucker im Kaffee.
I don’t take sugar in my coffee. - Zu viel Zucker ist ungesund.
Too much sugar is unhealthy.
Nuance and usage tips
Zucker most often refers to:
- Table sugar (white or brown)
- Raffinierter Zucker – refined sugar
- Brauner Zucker – brown sugar
- Würfelzucker – sugar cubes
- Sugars in food and the body
- Blutzucker – blood sugar
- Zuckerwerte – blood sugar levels
- Zuckerschock – sugar shock
- Endearments & idioms
- Mein kleiner Zucker! – “My little sugar!” (cute nickname)
- Zuckerbrot und Peitsche – “carrot and stick” (literally: sugar bread and whip)
Its antonym might be Salz (salt), in culinary terms—or Bitterkeit (bitterness) in metaphor.
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Der Zucker steht im Regal ganz oben.
The sugar is on the top shelf. - Accusative:
Kannst du den Zucker bitte reichen?
Can you please pass the sugar? - Dative:
Mit dem Zucker schmeckt es besser.
It tastes better with sugar. - Genitive:
Wegen des Zuckers musste das Rezept angepasst werden.
Because of the sugar, the recipe had to be adjusted.
Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- Zuckerfrei – sugar-free
- Zuckersüß – sugar-sweet
- Zuckerschock – sugar crash / shock
- Zuckergehalt – sugar content
- Zuckerkrankheit – old-fashioned word for diabetes
- Zuckerrübe – sugar beet
Fun idiomatic note:
The German equivalent of "carrot and stick" is Zuckerbrot und Peitsche—sugar bread and whip. It's used in politics, parenting, and management strategies.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Zucker
🎥 Learn Zucker and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Alternate translations note:
For specific types of sugar, Germans often use compound words (like Traubenzucker for glucose or Fruchtzucker for fructose). But when it comes to that sweet white stuff on your spoon, in your tea, or in your bloodstream—Zucker is the word you want.
Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Wolke means? How about Zeuge? Find out!