How do you say Tooth in German?

Whether it’s a smile, a dentist’s office, or a gear in a machine - Germans call it a Zahn. It’s a word you’ll hear when something hurts, when something breaks, or when someone’s smile lights up the room.

The noun Zahn means tooth, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It shows up in health conversations, mechanical engineering, children’s books, and everyday idioms.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Zahn.

Pronunciation

Zahn is pronounced [tsahn].

• The Z sounds like ts,
• The a is pronounced like the a in father,
• The h lengthens the vowel but isn’t pronounced,
• One syllable: tsahn

It’s a strong, clean-sounding word - just like a healthy molar.

Example sentences:

• Ich habe Zahnschmerzen - ich glaube, ich brauche einen Termin.I have a toothache - I think I need an appointment.
• Der Zahn wurde gestern gezogen.The tooth was pulled yesterday.

Nuance and usage tips

Zahn is mostly anatomical but branches out metaphorically and mechanically:

1. Literal use (human or animal)
   • Milchzahn - baby tooth
   • Weisheitszahn - wisdom tooth
   • Zahnarzt - dentist
   • Zahnspange - braces
   • Zahnschmerzen - toothache
2. Mechanical use
   • Zahnrad - gear (literally “tooth wheel”)
   • Zahnräder greifen ineinander - gears interlock
3. Idiomatic use
   • Der Zahn der Zeit - the tooth of time (i.e., the ravages of time)
   • Jemandem einen Zahn ziehen - to take the wind out of someone’s sails (literally: to pull someone’s tooth - used when deflating someone’s expectations)

Another everyday idiom: einen Zahn zulegen - to speed up, step on it.