German words for kids · Family
Family in German for kids
Family words are the closest to a child's heart. They're the words kids use to talk about the people they love most.
Family in German
die Familie
Sounds like ≈ dee fah-MEE-lee-uh
Good to know: Four syllables: fa-MI-li-e. Meine Familie = my family.
The words
| English | German | Sounds like ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| mom | Mama | MAH-mah |
| dad | Papa | PAH-pah |
| grandma | Oma | OH-mah |
| grandpa | Opa | OH-pah |
| brother | der Bruder | dair BROO-der |
| sister | die Schwester | dee SHVES-ter |
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our German songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Mein Bruder und ich!
My brother and me!
from Meine Familie (My Family)
The song that teaches it
These words are key words in this song. Every line is shown in German with its English meaning.
Also sung in: Bitte und Danke, Mama und Papa, Oma und Opa, In meinem Zimmer, Ein neues Jahr, Das Dino-Ei, Ich hab, du hast.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Look through family photos and name each person with their German family word.
- 2Draw your Familie together, one person at a time, labelling each one.
- 3Before a call with relatives, practise the family words you'll use.
Related German words
“Family” in other languages
Sing it in German, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Germanhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using German songs with your family.