German word

Briefkasten

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈbʁiːfˌkastn̩/

Meaning

  • masculine nounmailbox

Example

Ich werfe den Brief in den Briefkasten.

I put the letter in the mailbox.

Illustration for Briefkasten (mailbox)

More examples

Nach dem Urlaub fand sie viele Rechnungen im Briefkasten.

After her vacation, she found many bills in the mailbox.

Core concept

An outside box with a narrow letter slot is the everyday boundary between a letter and its recipient.

Common phrases

  • Briefkasten leeren

    empty the mailbox

  • im Briefkasten nachsehen

    check the mailbox

  • einen Briefkasten installieren

    install a mailbox

Similar words

Postkasten: A public box outside a building or on a street for depositing letters.
Postfach: A contracted box at a post office for collecting incoming mail.
Briefkastenanlage: A row of individual mailboxes serving residents of a shared building.

Definition in German

ein am Haus oder an der Straße angebrachtes Fach oder Kasten, in das Briefe zur Zustellung oder zum Versenden eingesteckt werden

Word origin

Briefkasten is a compound of Brief ('letter') and Kasten ('box'), literally naming a box associated with letters.

Usage tips

  • Briefkasten is masculine, with the plural Briefkästen; Postfach means a postal box assigned to a customer, not a house or street box.

Other meanings

  • postboxnoun

Related words

  • Briefkastenschlüsselmailbox keynoun
  • Briefkasteneinwurfmailbox slotnoun
  • Briefkastenaufschriftmailbox labelnoun

Word lists with this word