Whether it’s a bearded sorcerer casting ancient spells or a stage performer pulling rabbits from hats—Germans call him a Zauberer. It’s a word with roots in both fantasy and entertainment, and it always carries a touch of wonder.
The noun Zauberer means wizard, magician, or sorcerer, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll find it in children’s stories, fantasy novels, magic shows, and even as a nickname for someone who’s unusually good at something.
It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Zauberer.
The feminine form is die Zauberin (less common; sometimes people still use Zauberer generically).
Pronunciation
Zauberer is pronounced [TSOW-buh-rer].
- Zau rhymes with cow,
- ber like in butter,
- Final er is a soft "uh" sound,
- Stress is on the first syllable: TSAU-ber-er
It sounds playful and powerful—just like its meaning.
Example sentences:
- Der Zauberer trug einen langen Umhang und sprach alte Formeln.
The wizard wore a long cloak and spoke ancient formulas. - Auf der Geburtstagsparty war ein Zauberer, der tolle Tricks gezeigt hat.
There was a magician at the birthday party who showed amazing tricks.
Nuance and usage tips
Zauberer comes from zaubern—to do magic. It refers to both magical characters in fiction and illusionists on stage.
- Fantasy or fairy tales
- ein mächtiger Zauberer – a powerful wizard
- Dunkler Zauberer – dark sorcerer
- Zauberer Merlin – Merlin the magician
- Stage or entertainment
- Kinderzauberer – children’s magician
- Bühnenzauberer – stage magician
- Metaphorical
- Er ist ein Zauberer am Klavier. – He’s a wizard on the piano (i.e., a genius)
- Datenzauberer – data wizard (used jokingly in tech teams)
Its antonym might be:
- Realist – realist
- Betrüger (if you're emphasizing trickery)
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Der Zauberer verbeugte sich vor dem Publikum.
The magician bowed to the audience. - Accusative:
Ich habe den Zauberer schon mal im Fernsehen gesehen.
I’ve seen the magician on TV before. - Dative:
Mit dem Zauberer haben die Kinder viel gelacht.
The children laughed a lot with the magician. - Genitive:
Wegen des Zauberers war der Abend unvergesslich.
Because of the magician, the evening was unforgettable.
Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- zaubern – to do magic
- Zauberei – magic (as a concept)
- Zauberstab – magic wand
- Zauberspruch – magic spell
- Zaubertrick – magic trick
- Hexe – witch (female magical figure, often distinct from Zauberin)
Fun idiomatic note:
Calling someone a Zauberer is often a playful compliment in German—especially when someone pulls off something impressive or seems to make problems disappear:
„Du bist echt ein Zauberer mit Excel!“
“You’re a real wizard with Excel!”
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Zauberer
🎥 Learn Zauberer and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Alternate translations note:
For dark or magical beings in literature, Magier or Hexenmeister might also appear, especially in fantasy. For stage performers, Zauberer is most common. Whether it’s Harry Potter or a guy with a deck of cards—Zauberer covers the magic.
Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Zeichen means? How about Zahn? Find out!