Family Members in German

By Lachlan McRitchie

Updated July 6, 2026

The core family words in German are die Mutter (mother), der Vater (father), der Bruder (brother), and die Schwester (sister). German marks gender with the article, so learn der, die, or das with each one.

GermanEnglish
die Muttermother
der Vaterfather
der Bruderbrother
die Schwestersister
der Sohnson
die Tochterdaughter
die Großmuttergrandmother
der Großvatergrandfather
die Großelterngrandparentsplural only
die Elternparentsplural only
das Kindchild
die Familiefamily

Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch German shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.

Hear them in: How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Barbarians.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say parents in German?
Parents is die Eltern, a plural-only word. Grandparents is die Großeltern, and the whole family is die Familie.

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