German word

schwarz

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃvaʁt͡s/

Meaning

  • adjectiveblack

Example

Ich trage ein schwarzes Hemd.

I'm wearing a black shirt.

Illustration for schwarz (black)

More examples

Er trägt eine schwarze Brille.

He is wearing black glasses.

Core concept

A surface absorbs nearly all visible light, appearing deeply dark and extending metaphorically to hidden or illicit things.

Common phrases

  • ein schwarzes Hemd

    a black shirt

  • schwarze Schuhe

    black shoes

  • eine schwarze Brille

    black glasses

Similar words

grau: Showing a subdued shade between white and black.
hell: Showing strong brightness and a high level of reflected light.
dunkel: Showing a deep, shadowy appearance with little brightness.

Definition in German

Eine dunkle Farbe bezeichnend, die ohne helle Töne als schwarz wahrgenommen wird.

Word origin

Schwarz descends from Proto-Germanic *swartaz and is related to English swart and Dutch zwart.

Usage tips

  • As an adjective, schwarz takes endings such as schwarzes in schwarzes Hemd, agreeing with the noun's gender, case, and number.

Opposites

Related words

  • das Schwarzblacknoun
  • schwarz-weißblack-and-whiteadjective

Word lists with this word