It’s the tool of a soldier, a character in a crime novel, or a topic in political debate. In German, it’s called die Waffe. This is your German word of the day, and it shows up in contexts from military reports to news headlines to action movies.

The noun Waffe means weapon or arm, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. Whether literal or metaphorical, it’s a word that carries weight.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Waffe (need a fast way to get comfortable with gender? Our quick, practical video lesson makes it easy: https://deutschable.com/course/lesson-3-3/).

Pronunciation

Waffe is pronounced [VAH-fuh].

• The W sounds like a V,
• The a is short, like in father,
• The ff is crisp,
• And the final e is softly pronounced -uh

It’s a sharp, direct word—fitting for something so serious.

Example sentences:

Die Polizei fand keine Waffe am Tatort.
The police found no weapon at the crime scene.

Er trägt keine Waffe.
He’s not carrying a weapon.

Nuance and usage tips

Waffe refers to both traditional weapons (guns, knives, etc.) and more abstract or metaphorical “weapons” (like language, information, or humor).

Common forms and compounds include:

• Schusswaffe – firearm
• Stichwaffe – stabbing weapon
• Tatwaffe – weapon used in a crime
• Waffenbesitz – weapon possession
• Waffenrecht – gun legislation
• Massenvernichtungswaffe – weapon of mass destruction

It also shows up in set phrases:

• zur Waffe greifen – to take up arms
• eine scharfe Waffe – a loaded weapon / powerful argument
• Waffenstillstand – ceasefire
• die Waffe niederlegen – to lay down arms

How does this word come up in real conversations?

Even as a beginner, you’ll likely hear Waffe in news broadcasts, crime shows, or discussions about laws. It might also appear metaphorically:

“Sprache ist eine mächtige Waffe.” – Language is a powerful weapon.
or
“Der Täter hatte keine Waffe.” – The perpetrator had no weapon.

Beginner tip: Pay attention to the context—Waffe is rarely used casually. It often signals danger, force, or seriousness.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Sara: Was hat die Polizei gefunden?
Tom: Nur Kleidung, aber keine Waffe.
Sara: Dann war es vielleicht gar kein Verbrechen.
Tom: Möglich. Aber sie untersuchen weiter.

Sara: What did the police find?
Tom: Just clothes, but no weapon.
Sara: Then maybe it wasn’t a crime after all.
Tom: Possible. But they’re still investigating.

Grammatical case examples:

Nominative:
Die Waffe war geladen.
The weapon was loaded.

Accusative:
Er hatte die Waffe in der Hand.
He had the weapon in his hand.

Dative:
Mit der Waffe bedrohte er den Verkäufer.
He threatened the cashier with the weapon.

Genitive:
Der Lauf der Waffe war beschädigt.
The barrel of the weapon was damaged.

Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der

Word variations and language tidbits

Compound nouns and related expressions include:

• Waffenlager – weapons depot
• Waffenschein – weapons license
• Waffenruhe – truce
• Waffenexport – arms export
• Waffengewalt – armed violence

You may also hear the plural Waffen—used often in generalizations, as in:
“Keine Waffen erlaubt” (No weapons allowed)

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Waffe
🎥 Learn Waffe and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course: https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Wache means? How about Virus? Find out!