Whether it’s tasting food, forming words, or sticking out in protest—Germans call it a Zunge. It’s a word that mixes the physical with the expressive, used in anatomy, language, and idioms.
The noun Zunge means tongue, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll encounter it in biology class, spicy food conversations, and colorful German expressions.
It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Zunge.
Pronunciation
Zunge is pronounced [TSOONG-uh].
- Z = “ts” sound (like in pizza),
- u = like the “oo” in book,
- ge = soft “guh,”
- Stress is on the first syllable: TSUN-ge
It has a round, flexible sound—perfect for what it describes.
Example sentences:
- Die Zunge ist ein Muskel.
The tongue is a muscle. - Pass auf, was du sagst – du hast eine scharfe Zunge!
Watch what you say – you have a sharp tongue!
Nuance and usage tips
Zunge is mostly literal, but also used figuratively and idiomatically.
- Anatomy and sensation
- Zungenspitze – tip of the tongue
- Zungenbelag – tongue coating
- Zungenbrennen – burning tongue
- die Zunge verbrennen – to burn your tongue (on hot food)
- Language and speech
- Muttersprache = mother tongue
- fremde Zunge = foreign language
- Zungenfertigkeit = fluency (rare, formal)
- Idioms and expressions
- auf der Zunge liegen – to have something on the tip of your tongue
- die Zunge rausstrecken – to stick out your tongue (childish or rude)
- eine spitze Zunge haben – to be sarcastic or biting
- mit gespaltener Zunge sprechen – to speak with a forked tongue (i.e., lie)
Its antonym? There’s no direct opposite—but figuratively, Stille (silence) or Schweigen (being quiet) might fit, depending on context.
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Die Zunge hilft beim Sprechen und Schmecken.
The tongue helps with speaking and tasting. - Accusative:
Ich habe mir die Zunge an der Suppe verbrannt.
I burned my tongue on the soup. - Dative:
Mit der Zunge kann man verschiedene Geschmäcker erkennen.
With the tongue, you can detect different tastes. - Genitive:
Wegen der Zunge konnte er das Wort nicht richtig aussprechen.
Because of his tongue, he couldn’t pronounce the word correctly.
Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- Zungenbrecher – tongue-twister
- Zungenkuss – French kiss
- Zungenschlag – tongue movement / accent
- Zungenpiercing – tongue piercing
- Zungenbein – hyoid bone
- Zungenwurzel – tongue root
Fun idiomatic note:
The phrase Das liegt mir auf der Zunge is the German way to say “It’s on the tip of my tongue”—used when you’re just about to remember a word but can’t quite get there.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Zunge
🎥 Learn Zunge and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Alternate translations note:
When referring to tongue in terms of language, Germans often switch to words like Sprache (language) or Muttersprache (mother tongue). But for the thing in your mouth that helps you speak, taste, and get into trouble—Zunge is your word.
Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Zukunft means? How about Zuschauer? Find out!