"Bauch" is masculine in German — the correct article is der. The plural is die Bäuche. In English, Bauch means "belly" or "stomach".
Gender rule: der Bauch is masculine. As with most body part nouns in German, there is no reliable ending-based rule for the gender — die Hand, das Knie, and der Bauch all differ. The safest approach is always to learn each noun with its article from the start. See all gender patterns in the Article Rules and a full overview at the german articles.
Der Bauch is an A1 vocabulary word that every German learner needs early on. It comes up constantly — from everyday small talk to medical contexts — and is a good example of a masculine noun with an umlaut plural: die Bäuche. Understanding how cases work with masculine nouns like der Bauch is an important step at A1 level. This article covers the full declension, example sentences, word family, a common mistake, and a short quiz. You can also explore der Arm as another masculine body part noun with a similar plural pattern.
Bauch — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Bauch | die Bäuche |
| Genitive | des Bauches | der Bäuche |
| Dative | dem Bauch | den Bäuchen |
| Accusative | den Bauch | die Bäuche |
Example Sentences with Bauch
Mein Bauch tut weh — ich glaube, ich habe etwas Falsches gegessen.
(My stomach hurts — I think I ate something bad.) — Nominative
Er hält den Bauch vor Lachen und kann kaum noch atmen.
(He holds his belly from laughing and can barely breathe.) — Accusative
Das Kind liegt auf dem Bauch und liest ein Buch.
(The child is lying on its stomach and reading a book.) — Dative
Das Grummeln des Bauches war im stillen Raum deutlich zu hören.
(The rumbling of the stomach was clearly audible in the quiet room.) — Genitive
Nach dem Festessen waren alle Bäuche gut gefüllt.
(After the feast, everyone's bellies were well filled.) — Nominative Plural
Die Ärztin drückt vorsichtig auf den Bäuchen der Patienten, um Schmerzen zu lokalisieren.
(The doctor carefully presses on the patients' stomachs to locate pain.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie):
- das Bäuchlein — little belly (diminutive)
- bauchig — bulging, rounded (adjective)
- bäuchlings — face down / on one's belly (adverb)
Common compounds (Komposita):
- der Bauchnabel — belly button / navel
- die Bauchschmerzen (plural) — stomach ache
- das Bauchgefühl — gut feeling / instinct
- der Bauchtanz — belly dance
Common Mistake with Bauch
❌ Common mistake: Ich habe Schmerzen in meinen Bauchen.
✅ Correct: Ich habe Schmerzen in meinem Bauch. (singular) or Alle hatten volle Bäuche. (plural)
💡 Why: The plural of der Bauch is die Bäuche — not Bauchen. The ending -en is not used for this noun in the plural. Note also that when talking about stomach pain, German uses the singular mein Bauch far more naturally than the plural — unlike in English where "stomach" stays singular anyway.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. Das Grummeln ___ Bauches war deutlich zu hören.
- A) der
- B) dem
- C) des
Check Answer
"Das Grummeln ___ Bauches" — whose rumbling? The stomach's. This is a possession relationship expressed with the genitive case. For masculine nouns, the genitive article is des and the noun adds -es: des Bauches. Option A) der is the genitive article for feminine nouns. Option B) dem is dative.
2. Das Kind liegt auf ___ Bauch und schläft.
- A) den
- B) der
- C) dem
Check Answer
The preposition auf can take either accusative (movement toward) or dative (location/rest). Here the child is lying still — no movement — so the dative is required: auf dem Bauch. For masculine nouns, the dative article is dem. Option A) den is accusative. Option B) der is the dative article for feminine nouns.
3. Ein rund___ Bauch ist noch kein Grund zur Sorge.
- A) -e
- B) -en
- C) -er
Check Answer
After an indefinite article in the nominative, masculine nouns take the adjective ending -er: ein runder Bauch. Because ein does not carry a visible masculine signal in the nominative (it looks the same as neuter), the adjective must step in and carry it — this is called the strong ending. Option A) -e is the ending after a definite article in the nominative for all three genders. Option B) -en is the weak ending used after der or in most other case-gender combinations.
Want to drill more nouns like this? The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to practice — pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
More Body Part Nouns
- der Arm — the arm
- der Kopf — the head
- der Rücken — the back
- die Hand — the hand
- die Schulter — the shoulder
- das Bein — the leg
- das Knie — the knee
For the full list with articles and plurals, see the Body Parts Vocabulary page. You can also browse more topic-based word lists in the German Vocabulary Overview and test yourself with the Vocabulary Quizzes.
Is it der, die, or das Bauch? Practice makes perfect.
The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to drill — from everyday vocabulary to family, food, and much more. Pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
Practice German Articles →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bauch masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Bauch is masculine — the correct article is der. There is no single ending-based rule that reliably predicts the gender of body part nouns in German, so the best habit is to always learn every noun with its article from the beginning. For a full overview of gender patterns, see the Article Rules.
What is the plural of Bauch in German?
The plural is die Bäuche — the vowel takes an umlaut (a → ä) and -e is added. Do not use Bauchen — this is a very common learner error. In the dative plural, a further -n is added: den Bäuchen.
What is the difference between Bauch and Magen in German?
Der Bauch refers to the belly or abdomen — the external body area. Der Magen is the anatomical stomach — the internal organ responsible for digestion. In everyday speech, Germans often use Bauch loosely to mean both (e.g. Bauchschmerzen for stomach ache), but in medical contexts the distinction matters.
What is the genitive of der Bauch?
The genitive singular is des Bauches. Masculine and neuter nouns add -es or -s in the genitive singular — both des Bauches and des Bauchs are acceptable, though des Bauches is more common in written German. See the Cases Overview for more detail.
