It’s what doctors do with symptoms, what detectives do with evidence, and what committees do with scandals. In German, it’s called die Untersuchung. This is your German word of the day, and it’s useful whether you’re dealing with a medical issue or a mystery.
The noun Untersuchung means examination, investigation, or inquiry, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. From hospitals to crime scenes, it’s a word that carries seriousness, procedure, and thoroughness.
It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Untersuchung (still unsure about gender? Our super-useful, no-fluff video lesson will help you lock it in: https://deutschable.com/course/lesson-3-3/).
Pronunciation
Untersuchung is pronounced [oon-ter-ZOO-hoong].
Un sounds like “oon,”
ter as in “terrace,”
such is like “zooch” with a German ch,
ung ends with a nasal “oong” sound,
Stress is on the third syllable: un-ter-SUCH-ung
It’s a formal word—fitting for serious, structured actions.
Example sentences:
Die Untersuchung hat noch keine Ergebnisse gebracht.
The investigation hasn’t produced any results yet.
Ich habe morgen eine ärztliche Untersuchung.
I have a medical examination tomorrow.
Nuance and usage tips
Untersuchung has two main uses:
Medical – a physical checkup, diagnostic procedure
Routineuntersuchung – routine check-up
Blutuntersuchung – blood test
Investigative or analytical – examining a situation, case, or object
Polizeiliche Untersuchung – police investigation
wissenschaftliche Untersuchung – scientific analysis
You’ll hear common collocations like:
eine Untersuchung durchführen – to carry out an investigation
unter ärztlicher Untersuchung stehen – to be undergoing medical testing
die Untersuchung leiten – to lead the investigation
How does this word come up in real conversations?
If you live in a German-speaking country, you’ll encounter Untersuchung at the doctor’s office or in the news.
Examples:
“Ich muss zur Untersuchung.” – I have to go for an examination.
“Die Untersuchung des Falls dauert an.” – The investigation of the case is ongoing.
It’s also common in written reports, journalism, and legal contexts.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Marie: Du warst lange beim Arzt. Alles okay?
Jonas: Ich musste eine Blutuntersuchung machen.
Marie: Und?
Jonas: Ergebnisse kommen morgen.
Marie: You were at the doctor’s for a long time. Everything okay?
Jonas: I had to do a blood test.
Marie: And?
Jonas: Results come tomorrow.
Grammatical case examples:
Nominative:
Die Untersuchung war gründlich.
The examination was thorough.
Accusative:
Ich habe die Untersuchung gut überstanden.
I got through the examination well.
Dative:
Mit der Untersuchung begann die Therapie.
The therapy began with the examination.
Genitive:
Der Ablauf der Untersuchung war standardisiert.
The process of the examination was standardized.
Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der
Word variations and language tidbits
Helpful compound words:
Vorsorgeuntersuchung – preventive check-up
Kriminaluntersuchung – criminal investigation
Gerichtsuntersuchung – judicial inquiry
Nachuntersuchung – follow-up examination
Untersuchungsbericht – investigation report
Untersuchungshaft – pre-trial detention (literally: investigation custody)
Fun fact: Germans take preventive health seriously, so Vorsorgeuntersuchungen (preventive check-ups) are often covered by health insurance and actively encouraged.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Untersuchung
🎥 Learn Untersuchung 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 Verbrecher? What about Verräter?