German word

weh

Pronunciation

IPA/veː/

Meaning

  • adjectivepainful

Example

Mir tut der Kopf weh.

My head hurts.

Illustration for weh (painful)

More examples

Die Kritik tat ihr das Herz weh.

The criticism hurt her feelings.

Core concept

A body part sends a direct signal of pain, making it feel sore or painful.

Common phrases

  • jemandem das Herz weh tun

    hurt someone's feelings

  • sich weh tun

    hurt oneself

Similar words

wund: Tender because the skin is injured or irritated and hurts to touch.
schmerzhaft: Involving intense or sharply felt pain.

Definition in German

drückt Schmerzempfinden aus und steht häufig prädikativ in Konstruktionen mit 'tun' oder in dativischen Wendungen

Word origin

The adjective comes from Old High German wēh through Middle High German wë, with its form and pain-related meaning largely preserved.

Usage tips

  • In 'Mir tut der Kopf weh', the person is in the dative and the painful body part is the grammatical subject.

Opposites

  • schmerzfreipain-freeadjective
  • beschwerdefreisymptom-freeadjective

Related words

  • Wehklagelamentationnoun
  • Kopfwehheadachenoun

Word lists with this word