It’s one of the first things babies notice, the center of every cold, and the subject of countless jokes. The word nose isn’t just about anatomy — it’s a key to expressing reactions, intuition, and even rudeness. Learning how to say nose in German opens up both serious and playful communication.

The German word is die Nase. It’s feminine, and the plural is die Nasen. If you're working on understanding noun gender, my gender video lesson makes it clear and simple.

Nase is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it appears in daily life, idioms, body parts vocabulary, and casual talk.

Here’s how Nase works across the four cases:

Nominative:
Die Nase läuft.
The nose is running.

Accusative:
Ich putze meine Nase.
I’m blowing my nose.

Dative:
Mit dieser Nase riechst du alles!
With this nose, you smell everything!

Genitive:
Die Spitze der Nase ist rot.
The tip of the nose is red.

Nase shows up in a lot of expressive phrases:

• eine große / kleine / krumme Nase – a big / small / crooked nose

• die Nase voll haben – to be fed up

• jemandem die Nase zeigen – to taunt someone (literally “show your nose”)

• mit der Nase auf etwas stoßen – to point something out bluntly

• eine feine Nase haben für ... – to have a nose for (something)

Verbs: riechen (smell), laufen (run), bluten (bleed), putzen (blow), zuhalten (pinch shut)
Adjectives: verstopft (clogged), rot (red), sensibel (sensitive), schnupfig (sniffly)

From colds to clues, Nase is more than a body part — it's a symbol of emotion, instinct, and attitude.

Beginner dialogue using Nase:

A: Was ist mit deiner Nase los?
B: Ich glaube, ich bekomme eine Erkältung.
A: What’s going on with your nose?
B: I think I’m getting a cold.

Now it’s your turn. Think of your answer and say it aloud using Nase.

“Wann hattest du das letzte Mal Probleme mit deiner Nase?”
When was the last time you had trouble with your nose?

Use the word Nase in your answer — say it out loud, even if it’s short!

Duden entry for “Nase”

German Word of the Day
Now you know how to say nose in German — and how die Nase helps you talk about health, smells, feelings, and a little comedy too.

Download the free illustrated PDF of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and grow your vocabulary the smart way.

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