German word

rau

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁaʊ̯/

Meaning

  • adjectiverough

Example

Das Papier ist rau.

The paper is rough.

Illustration for rau (rough)

More examples

Er antwortete in rauem Ton, sodass das Gespräch schnell unangenehm wurde.

He answered in a rough tone, so the conversation quickly became awkward.

Core concept

A surface or sound feels dry, uneven, and lacking smooth softness.

Common phrases

  • raue Sprache

    rough language

  • in rauem Ton

    in a harsh tone

Similar words

grob: Lacking fine detail or a smooth finish; coarse in texture.
schroff: Blunt and unfriendly in manner or speech, with a cold edge.
heiser: Having a hoarse, rasping quality in the voice.

Definition in German

nicht glatt oder fein; bei Materialien: grobe, spürbare Struktur, bei Stimmen: trocken und heiser

Word origin

German rau comes through Middle High German ruch and Old High German ruoh from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz, related to English rough and Dutch ruw.

Usage tips

  • For a specifically hoarse voice, German usually uses heiser, while rau emphasizes a harsh, dry quality in a voice or sound.

Other meanings

  • coarseadjective
  • raspyadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • Rauheitroughnessnoun
  • anrauenmake roughverb

Word lists with this word