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70 sweet terms of endearment in German for your loved ones

German names can be long and complicated but don’t worry. With these 70 easy terms of endearment in German, you’ll never have to remember any of them. You can just call everyone by an adorable nickname - from bae to your grandma.

Guess who’s holding the Guinness World Record for the longest last name? A German-born of course! The man went by the proud name of Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr. but I’m sure his friends just called him Hubi.

Whether you know someone with a name like that, or you’re just looking for a short and sweet name for your German love - or your German shepherd dog, we’re here to teach you some cute nicknames in German.

Are you just starting your German language journey? Download our complimentary German language essentials eBook here.

Cute nicknames for your German Shepherd dog.


Terms of endearment in German

There’s an unlimited number of German terms of endearment. If you’re taking an online German class with other fellow German-learners, that’s a great opportunity to test out some of those German nicknames. Turn everyone’s name into a German one or call them by their favorite animal in German. Just have fun with it!

German nicknames for grandmother and grandfather

17% of Americans have German ancestry, so many of them have or had German family members. Maybe your grandma or grandpa is German, too, and you want to know what to call them in German?

We don’t have that many name variations for our grandparents in German but one common way to tell your mom’s parents and your dad’s parents apart is to call them by the place they live in - like “Oma Berlin” or “Opa Ansbach”.

Terms of endearment in German for grandmother and grandfather.

EnglishGermanIPA
GrandmaOma[oma]
GrandpaOpa[ɒˈpa]
GrannyOmi[ˈoːmi]
GrampsOpi[ˈoːpi]
Grandma Berlin (or other residence)Oma Berlin[oma bɛɐ̯’li:n]
Grandpa Berlin (or other residence)Opa Berlin[ɒˈpa bɛɐ̯’li:n]

German terms of endearment for a boyfriend or husband

If your boyfie is German, it’s obviously anti-climactic to call him by his first name. Here are some good German terms of endearment for a boyfriend or husband. Believe me, he’ll be charmed if you call him any of these names - from handsome to the man of your dreams.

Everyone likes being complimented after all! Our guide on making compliments in German will give you even more inspiration.

EnglishGermanIPA
My sweet oneMein Süßer[maɪ̯n ˈzyːsɐ]
My princeMein Prinz[maɪ̯n pʁɪnt͡s]
My kingMein König[maɪ̯n ˈkøːnɪç]
HeroHeld[hɛlt]
Big oneGroßer[ˈɡʁoːsɐ]
HandsomeHübscher[ˈhʏpʃɐ]
Loved oneGeliebter[ɡəˈliːptɐ]
LionLöwe[ˈløːvə]
TigerTiger[ˈtiːɡɐ]
The man of my dreamsDer Mann meiner Träume[deːɐ̯ man ˈmaɪ̯nɐ ˈtʁɔɪ̯mə]
My man (/husband)Mein Mann[maɪ̯n man]
My boyfriendMein Freund[maɪ̯n fʁɔɪ̯nt]

Pet names for a girlfriend or wife in German

Of course your girlfriend can be your lion or your tiger, too, but if you want to be a bit more old school and call her your pearl or your jewel, this list is for you. Or you can call her any one of these beautiful German flowers.

EnglishGermanIPA
My sweet oneMeine Süße[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈzyːsə]
My pearlMeine Perle[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈpɛʁlə]
My doveMeine Taube[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈtaʊ̯bə]
My dearMein Liebchen[ˈmaɪ̯n ˈliːpçən]
My princessMeine Prinzessin[ˈmaɪ̯nə pʁɪnˈt͡sɛsɪn]
My queenMeine Königin[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈkøːnɪɡɪn]
HeroineHeldin[ˈhɛldɪn]
Little oneKleine[ˈklaɪ̯nə]
JewelSchmuckstück[ˈʃmʊkʃtʏk]
Loved oneGeliebte[ɡəˈliːptə]
My most beautifulMeine Schönste[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈʃøːnstə]
The woman of my dreamsDie Frau meiner Träume[diː fʁaʊ̯ ˈmaɪ̯nɐ ˈtʁɔɪ̯mə]
ElfElfe[ˈɛlfə]
Little elfElfchen[ˈɛlfçən]
FairyFee[feː]
Spell-fairyZauberfee[ˈt͡saʊ̯bɐfeː]
My woman (/wife)Meine Frau[ˈmaɪ̯nə fʁaʊ̯]
My girlfriendMeine Freundin[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈfʁɔɪ̯ndɪn]

Gender-neutral names for your partner in German

You can’t go wrong with these general nicknames for your partner. They’ll be happy to hear they’re your treasure or your one and only. And don’t forget to share your emotions. When you’re ready to go all out, find out how to say I love you in German!

Gender-neutral nicknames for your partner in German.

EnglishGermanIPA
My treasureMein Schatz[maɪ̯n ʃat͡s]
My little treasureMein Schätzelein[maɪ̯n ʃɛt͡səlaɪ̯n]
My darlingMein Liebling[maɪ̯n ˈliːplɪŋ]
My babyMein Baby[maɪ̯n ˈbeːbi]
My heartMein Herz[maɪ̯n hɛʁt͡s]
My angelMein Engel[maɪ̯n ˈeŋɡel]
My better halfMeine bessere Hälfte[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˌbɛsəʁə ˈhɛlftə]
SugarZucker[ˈtsʊkɐ]
My one and onlyMein ein und alles[maɪ̯n aɪ̯n ʊnt ˈaləs]
Moon of my lifeMond meines Lebens[mo:nt ‘maɪ̯nəs ‘le:bəns]
My sun and starsMeine Sonne und Sterne[maɪ̯nə ‘zɔnə ʊnt ‘ʃtɛɐ̯nə]
SunshineSonnenschein[ˈzɔnənˌʃaɪ̯n]
Love of my lifeLiebe meines Lebens[ˈliːbə ˈmaɪ̯nəs ˈleːbns]


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Cute nicknames in German

Have you ever called someone a sugar mouth, a heart leaf or a leg of a mouse? All these cute nicknames are very commonly used in German. They work for little kids, close friends, lovers or actual pets.

Kids dressed up in cute animal costumes.

EnglishGermanIPA
RabbitHase[ˈhaːzə]
BunnyHäschen[ˈhɛːsçən]
Little bearBärchen[bɛ:ɐ̯çən]
Little mouseMausi[maʊ̯zi:]
Mouse’s legMausebein[ˈmaʊ̯zəbaɪ̯n]
Heart leafHerzblatt[ˈhɛʁt͡sˌblat]
Little treasureSchatzi[ʃat͡si:]
ShmoopySchnucki[‘ʃnʊki:]
Shmoopy-booSchnuckiputz[‘ʃnʊkɪpʊt͡s]
-Purzel[pʊɐ̯t͡səl]
My little flowerMein Blümchen[maɪ̯n ˈblyːmçən]
My sugar mouthMeine Zuckerschnute[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈtsʊkɐˈʃnuːtə]


German nicknames for friends

Whether you call every single one of your friends Bunny like the girls clique in Mona Awad’s novel of the same name - or you lovingly name all of them individually, here are some cool German nicknames for your friends.

EnglishGermanRelationshipIPA
My best oneMein BesterMale best friend[maɪ̯n ˈbɛstɐ]
My best oneMeine BesteFemale best friend[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈbɛstə]
DarlingSchatzGeneral nickname for both romantic relationships and close friends[ʃat͡s]
RabbitHasePlayful nickname for both romantic relationships and close friends[ˈhaːzə]
MouseMausPlayful nickname for both romantic relationships and close friends[maʊ̯s]
SnailSchneckePlayful nickname for female friends[ˈʃnɛkə]
My love (male)Mein LieberCommon nickname for male friends[maɪ̯n ˈliːbɐ]
My love (female)Meine LiebeCommon nickname for female friends[ˈmaɪ̯nə ˈliːbə]
Boo-booBubuGreat name for pets, jokingly used for friends[bu:bʊ]


How to create a German nickname

If none of these German terms of endearment and nicknames are good enough for your friends and family, you can just come up with your own nicknames. You know how in English, a name can be easily turned into a nickname by adding an “i”- sound at the end (i.e., Anne → Annie, Fred → Freddy)?

In German, nicknames are “Spitznamen” and there are four easy ways to create them:

  • Add an “i” to the name (Sara → Sari, Klaus → Klausi)
  • Add a “chen” to the name (Marie → Mariechen, Paul → Paulchen)
  • Add a “lein” to the name (Cora → Coralein, Niko → Nikolein)
  • Repeat the first syllable of their name, especially for girl names (Johanna → Jojo, Miriam → Mimi)

Of course not all of these will work for every name. Just test out what sounds best and get a little creative!


Bis bald, Schatz!

Ready for some more helpful language learning tips? Check out our fun German language blog!

Your German colleagues, friends or loved ones will definitely appreciate how much effort you’re putting into learning German.

Soon enough you’ll grow so close that you’ll be calling every single one of them Schatzi or Hase - and you’ll never have to say a name like “Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff” ever again!

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