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List of German abbreviations

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This list of German abbreviations includes abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms found in the German language. Because German words can be famously long, use of abbreviation is particularly common. Even the language's shortest words are often abbreviated, such as the conjunction und (and) written just as "u." This article covers standard abbreviations in colloquial and official use. It does not include abbreviations that are important historically but no longer in common usage, such as k. u. k. for Imperial and Royal and OKW for Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.

As in English or Latin, German written abbreviations consist of a letter, letters or partial words shortened from a longer word or phrase, such as etc. for et cetera. Acronyms are a type of abbreviation pronounced as a single word, such as Laser. Initialisms are abbreviations in which each initial in the abbreviation is pronounced separately, such as FBI. It is unsettled question in English style guides whether the word acronym can be used to also describe initialisms. This list makes a distinction between the types because of the way German-speakers create, use and pronounce them.

  • Abbreviations: German written abbreviations are often punctuated and are pronounced as the full word when read aloud, such as beispielsweise for bspw. ("for example"). Unlike English, which is moving away from periods in abbreviations in some style guides, the placement of capital letters and periods is important in German.[1]
  • Acronyms are abbreviations consisting of initials of words in the original phrase, written without periods, and pronounced as if they were a single word. Examples that have made their way into German from English include Laser or NATO. In German, acronyms retain the grammatical gender of their primary noun.[1]
  • Syllable words (German: Silbenkurzwörter), or syllabic abbreviation or clipping, is a particularly German method of creating an abbreviation by combining the first two or more letters of each word to form a single word. An example is the gummy bear brand Haribo, which is derived from the name of its creator Hans Riegel and the city where it was created, Bonn. A number of German syllable words have made it into English usage, such as Adidas, from company founder Adi Dassler, and Gestapo for Geheime StaatsPolizei (Secret State Police). Although used and pronounced as words in their own right, according to Helmut Glück they are classified as acronyms.[2]
  • Initialism is a type of abbreviation consisting of the initials of each word in a phrase, almost always capitalized, and pronounced separately. In German they are never punctuated. Examples include EU for European Union and DDR for German Democratic Republic. Initialisms are typically found in commercial, government, legal, medical, scientific and technical uses. In German, initialisms retain the grammatical gender of their primary noun.[1]

Key to sources in tables

These sources apply to all three tables. In special cases an entry will be additionally referenced.

Key Source Dates Type Citation
L Langenscheidt's Compact German Dictionary 1993, 2003 Reference work [3]
Da Dartmouth College Department of German 2019 academic website [1]
DW Deutsche Welle 2015, 2020 Public broadcaster [4][5][6]
T ThoughtCo, via Dotdash 2020 Listicle [7]
F FluentU, based on abkuerzungen.de 2018 Blog [8]

List of German abbreviations

This is a selection of standard written abbreviations and symbols in German. The primary reference is Langenscheidt with additional sources providing more current uses and an indication of their popularity. German abbreviations are pronounced just like the full word or phrase when read aloud. Measurements are normally reduced to initials, written in lowercase, and without punctuation. Measurements of capacity in cooking can be uppercase.[1]

AbbreviationGermanEnglish Equivalent Notes Sources
⌀ Durchschnitt average [9]
€ Euro Euro T
* geboren (geb.) born T
† gestorben (gest.) died T
Abzw. Abzweigung diversion F
am. amerikanisch American adjective L, T
amtl. amtlich official L, T
Anh. Anhang appendix L, T
Ank. Ankunft arrival L, T
Anl. Anlage enclosure L, T
Anm. Anmerkung note L, T
anschl. anschließend following L
a.o. außerordentlicher Professor Associate professor L
App. Apartment/Wohnung apartment accommodations/real estate L, T, F
App. Apparat extension telephone L
a.Rh. am Rhein on the Rhine in place names L, T
Art. Artikel article L
Aufl. Auflage edition books L, T
Ausg. Ausgabe copy books L
AW Antwort Re:, in reply email T
B Bundesstraße Federal highway German and Austrian national highways L
b. bei at, with, near, c/o L, T
Bd., Bde. Band, Bände volume(s) books L, T
beil. beiliegend enclosed letters L, T
bes. besonders especially L, T
best. bestimmt definite typically seen in dictionaries, as in definite article [10]
bspw. beispielsweise for example Da, F
Best.-Nr. Bestellnummer order number L, T
Betr. Betreff Re:, regarding L, T
Bev. Bevölkerung pop., population L
Bez. Bezeichnung term, designation L, T
Bezirk district local government
Bio. Billion trillion (1012) The German language uses the long scale. Modern English "billion" (109) is Milliard.
Bhf. Bahnhof railroad station L, T
brit. britisch British L
b.w. bitte wenden please turn over common way to close an email message to friends L, T, F
bzgl. bezüglich with reference to relating to, regarding L, T
bzw. beziehungsweise respectively meaning varies in context, can also be: and/or, but, rather, alternatively, more specifically L, Da, DW, T, F
ca. circa, ungefähr, etwa circa, about, approximately L, T
Chr. Christus Christ T
cm Zentimeter centimetre L, Da
d.Ä. der Ältere senior, the elder, Sr. also see d.J. below L, T
dazw. dazwischen between them F
ders. derselbe the same [citation needed]
desgl. desgleichen likewise, ditto F
dF, dtF deutsche Fassung German [dubbed] version films etc. T
dgl. dergleichen/desgleichen the like L, T, Da
d.h. das heißt i.e., that is L, T
d.i. das ist i.e., that is L
Di Dienstag Tuesday date/time L, T
Dipl. Diplom Diplom diploma (an academic degree in the German-speaking countries) L
Dipl.-Ing. Diplom-Ingenieur engineering diploma, cf. MEng, MSc, M.S. L, T
Dipl.-Kfm. Diplom-Kaufmann business degree, cf. Master of Business Administration T
Dir. Direktion administrative office T
Dir. Direktor administrator, manager, principal L, T
Dir. Dirigent conductor of music T
d.J. der Jüngere junior, the younger, Jr. also see d.Ä. above L, T
d.M. dieses Monats of this month L, F
d.O. die (das) Obige the above-mentioned L
d.o. dito ditto L, F
Do Donnerstag Thursday date/time L, T
Dr. Doktor Doctor L
Dr. med. Doktor der Medizin M.D., medical doctorate L, T
Dr. phil. Doktor der Philosophie Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy L, T
Dr. sc. nat. Doktor der Naturwissenschaften Sc. D., Doctor of Science L
dt. deutsch German as an adjective L, T
Dtzd. Dutzend dozen L, T
e.h. ehrenhalber hon., honorary degree, etc. L, T
ehem. ehemals/ehemalig formerly/former L, T
eigtl. eigentlich actually, really L, T
einschl. einschließlich including, inclusive L, T
engl. englisch English as an adjective L
EL Esslöffel tbsp., tablespoon in recipes T, Da
E-Literatur erhobene Literatur serious literature T
E-Musik erhobene Musik classical music T
entspr. entsprechend corresponding, accordingly L, T
erb. erbaut built, erected L, T
Erw. Erwachsene adult(s) noun L, T
erw. erweitert expanded, extended T
ev. evangelisch Evangelical (a Protestant church) adjective L, T
e.V. eingetragener Verein registered organization (not-for-profit organization) Da, L, T
evtl. eventuell perhaps, possible/possibly, potential(ly) adjective or adverb; note this does not mean "eventually" Da, L, T
e.Wz. eingetragenes Warenzeichen registered trademark T
exkl. exklusive excluding, exclusive of L, T
f. für for DW
f./ff. folgende Seite(n) and following page(s) L, F
Fa. Firma company, firm L, T
Fam. Familie family L, T
FdH Friss die Hälfte eat half Popular German dieting practice which recommends eating only half of what one would usually eat during a typical day. Fressen is a verb normally reserved for animals; used of people, it implies gorging oneself. DW
F.f., Forts. f. Fortsetzung folgt to be continued L, T
Ffm. Frankfurt am Main T
FKK Freikörperkultur Free Body Culture nudist movement with a long history in Germany L, DW
Fr Freitag Friday date/time L, T, DW
Fr. Frau Mrs./Ms. In modern usage any woman age 18 or above is addressed as Frau, whether married or not. L, T, DW
fr. frei free DW
Frl. Fräulein Miss In modern usage any woman age 18 or above is addressed as Frau, whether married or not. L, T
Frfr. Freifrau wife of a Freiherr, former title of nobility, equivalent to Baroness (since 1919 part of the surname in Germany, banned in Austria) DW
frz. französisch French as an adjective L, T
g Gramm gram, grams L, T
geb. geboren, geborene born, né(e) L, T, Da, F
Gebr. Gebrüder Bros., brothers L, T
gedr. gedruckt printed T
gegr. gegründet established, founded L, T
gek. gekürzt abridged of books L, T
Ges. Gesellschaft association, company, society L, T
gesch. geschieden divorced L, T, DW
geschl. geschlossen closed DW
geschr. geschrieben written DW
ges.gesch. gesetzlich geschützt patented (lit. 'legally protected') L, DW
gest. gestorben died, deceased L, T
gez. gezeichnet signed L, T
ggf./ggfs. gegebenenfalls if applicable, if required L, T, Da
GmbH Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung limited liability company GesmbH in Austria L, T
gGmbH gemeinnützige GmbH nonprofit organization (lit. 'publicly beneficial limited company') L
gnt. Genannt called or known by (as in a name)
ha Hektar hectare L, T
Hbf. Hauptbahnhof central railway station L, T
hpts. hauptsächlich mainly T
Hptst. Hauptstadt capital city T
Hr./Hrn. Herr/Herrn Mr form of address L, T
Hrsg. Herausgeber editor, edited by L, T
i.A. im Auftrag per, as per often at the bottom of an official letter when somebody signs on behalf of somebody else L, T
i.b. im besonderen in particular L, T
i.B.im Breisgauin Breisgau used in place names, e.g. Freiburg i.B. T
ICIntercityzugInterCity train T
ICE Intercity-Expresszug Intercity Express T
i.D. im Durchschnitt on average L, F
i.H. im Hause in-house, on the premises T
i.J. im Jahre in the year L, T
Ing. Ingenieur engineer title L, T
Inh. Inhaber owner, proprietor L, T
Inh. Inhalt contents books L, T
inkl. inklusive including, inclusive of L, T
i.R. im Ruhestand ret., retired L, T
i.V. in Vertretung by proxy, on behalf of T
in Vorbereitung in preparation
im Vorjahr in the previous year L, T
inzw. inzwischen in the meantime F
jew. jeweils each, each of, each time
Jh. Jahrhundert century L, T, F
JH Jugendherberge youth hostel T
jhrl. jährlich annual(ly), yearly date/time L, T
JWD janz weit draußen way out there Berliner dialect for "in the middle of nowhere" DW
k.A. keine Angabe not rated films etc. T
Kap. Kapitel chapter L, T
kath. katholisch Catholic adjective L, T
Kfm. Kaufmann merchant, businessman, dealer, agent L, T
kfm. kaufmännisch commercial L, T
Kfz Kraftfahrzeug motor vehicle L, T
kg Kilogramm kilogram L, F
kgl. königlich royal L, T
Kl. Klasse class e.g. 1. Kl. "first class" L, T
km Kilometer kilometer L, F
kompl. komplette complete F
kW Kilowatt kilowatt L, F
l Liter liter L, T, Da
l. links left L, F
led. ledig unmarried L, F
LG Liebe Grüsse loving regards common way to close an email message to friends DW
LKW/Lkw Lastkraftwagen truck, lorry also used for sport utility vehicle L, T
L.m.a.A Leck mich am Arsch lick my ass Known as the Swabian salute, via Goethe and Mozart[11] DW
m Meter meter length L, F
mm Millimeter millimeter L, F
MA Mittlealter Middle Ages L, T
m.a.W. mit anderen Worten in other words L, F
max. maximal maximum L
m.E. meines Erachtens in my opinion L, T, Da, F
MfG Mit freundlichen Grüßen with friendly regards (lit. 'greetings') for formal emails, the standard way of closing a German business letter DW, T, F
Mi Mittwoch Wednesday date/time L, T
Mil. Million(en) million(s) L
Mio. L, T
m.M./m.M.n. meiner Meinung/meiner Meinung nach in my opinion F, DW
Mo Montag Monday date/time L, T
möbl. möbliert furnished accommodation/real estate L, T
Mrd. Milliarde(n) billion(s) (109) The German language uses the long scale. German Billion means "trillion" (1012). L, T
Msp. Messerspitze pinch (lit. 'knife tip') quantity in recipes T
mtl. monatlich monthly date/time L, T
mdl. mündlich verbal L
m.ü.M. Meter über dem Meerespiegel meters above sea level L
m.W. meines Wissens to my knowledge, as far as I know L, T, F
MwSt., Mw.-St. Mehrwertsteuer VAT, Value-Added Tax In Switzerland, MWST L, T
N Nord(en) north compass point L, T
n. nach after L
näml. nämlich namely, viz., i.e. L, T
n.Chr. nach Christus AD, anno Domini dates L, T, Da
n.J. nächsten Jahres next year L
NNO Nordnordost north-northeast compass point T
NNW Nordnordwest north-northwest C T
NO Nordosten northeast C L, T
nördl. nördlich northern L
norw. norwegisch Norwegian as an adjective L
Nr. Nummer No., number L, T
NS Nachschrift PS, postscript T
n.u.Z. nach unserer Zeitrechnung CE dates T
NW Nordwest(en) northwest compass point L
O Ost(en) east compass point L, T, DW
o. oben above L, T, DW
oder or L, DW
ohne without L, DW
ö öffentlich public DW
o.A. ohne Altersbeschränkung approved for all ages (lit. 'without age restriction') films etc. T
o.a. oben angeführt above-mentioned L
o.ä. oder ähnliche and the like (lit. 'or similar') L
o.B. ohne Befund negative results lit. 'without findings' L
od. oder or L, T, Da
o.g. oben genannt above named T
OmU Originalfassung mit Untertiteln original version with subtitles films etc. T
OSO Ostsüdost east-southeast compass point T
O-Ton Originalton original soundtrack films etc. T
österr. österreichisch Austrian as an adjective L
p.Adr. per Adresse c/o, care of L, T
Pf. Pfarrei; Pfarrer Parish; Parish priest, parson, pastor
Pfd. Pfund lb., pound weight L, T
Pkt. Punkt point L, F
Pkw/PKW Personenkraftwagen automobile, car L, T
Pl. Platz square, plaza L, T
PLZ Postleitzahl postal code L, T
PS Pferdestärke metric horsepower L, T
qkm Quadratkilometer square kilometer obsolete, km2 is preferred L, T
qm Quadratmeter square meter obsolete, m2 is preferred L, T
r. rechts right L, T
RA Rechtsanwalt attorney, lawyer, barrister L, T
Reg.-Bez. Regierungsbezirk government district L, T
R-Gespräch Retour-Gespräch collect call, reverse-charge call T
r.k., r.-k., röm.-kath. römisch-katholisch RC, Roman Catholic L, T
röm. römisch Roman adjective L, T
S Süd(en) south compass point L, T, DW
S. Seite p., page T, DW
s. sich oneself, yourself with reflexive verbs T
s. siehe see L, DW
s.a. siehe auch see also T, Da
Sa Samstag Saturday date/time L, T
schles. schlesisch Silesian as an adjective T
schwäb. schwäbisch Swabian as an adjective T
schweiz. schweizerisch Swiss as an adjective L, T
sek. Sekunde second date/time F
SO Südost(en) south-east compass point L, DW
So Sonntag Sunday date/time T, DW
s.o. siehe oben see above L, T, DW
sog. so genannt so-called L, T, DW
St. Sankt saint L, T
St. Stück (per) piece pricing L, T, F
Std. Stunde hour L, F
Str. Straße street, road L, F
StR. Studienrat tenured teacher T
s.u. siehe unten see below L, Da
südd. süddeutsch southern German adjective ?
SW, s/w schwarz/weiß black & white films etc. T
SW Südwest(en) southwest compass point L, T
SZ Schlafzimmer bedroom used in accommodation/real estate F
t Tonne(n) ton(s) L
tägl. täglich daily, per day L, F
Tel. Telefon telephone L, F
TL Teelöffel teaspoon in recipes F, Da
u. und and T, F, Da
U Umleitung detour L, T
u.a. und andere and others L, T
unter anderem among others L, T
u.Ä. und Ähnliches and the like (lit. 'and similar things') L, T
u.ä. und ähnlich and similarly T
u.a.m. und andere(s) mehr and more, etc. ?
u.A.w.g. um Antwort wird gebeten RSVP L, T
übl./üblw. üblich/üblicherweise usual F
ugs. umgangssprachlich colloquially
usw. und so weiter and so on, etc. note punctuation L, T, Da, F
u.v.a.(m) und vieles andere (mehr) and many others T
u.U. unter Umständen in certain circumstances, possibly L, T, Da
u.zw. und zwar viz., and indeed L, F
V. Vers line, verse L, T
v. von of used in particular for the nobiliary particle L
v.a. vor allem above all, especially Da
v.Chr. vor Christus BC, before Christ T, Da
Verf. Verfasser author L, T
verh. verheiratet married T, F
verw. verwitwet widowed L, T
VG Viele Grüsse many greetings casual signoff in email DW
vgl. vergleiche cf., compare, reference L, T, Da
v.H. vom Hundert percent, per 100 L, T
vorm. vormals formerly L, T
vorm. vormittags a.m., in the morning date/time L, T
v.R.w. von Rechts wegen by law L, T
v.T. vom Tausend per mille, per 1000 L, T
v.u.Z. vor unserer Zeitrechnung BCE dates L, T
W West(en) west compass point L, T
wstl. westlich western L
w.o. wie oben as above F
WSW Westsüdwest west-southwest compass point L, T
Wwe/Wwer Witwe/Witwer widow/widower F
Wz Warenzeichen trademark L
Z. Zahl number L, T, DW
Zeile line L, T, DW
z. zu, zum, zur at, to L, T, DW
z.B. zum Beispiel e.g., for example T, Da
z.Hd. zu Händen, zu Handen attn., attention of L, T
Zi. Zimmer room L, T
z.T. zum Teil partly, in part L, Da, F
Ztr. Zentner 100 kg L
zur. zurück back L, T
zus. zusammen together L, T
zzgl. zuzüglich plus, in addition T
z.Z./z.Zt. zur Zeit at present L, T, Da

List of German acronyms

List of German initialisms

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