"Hand" is feminine in German — the correct article is die. The plural is die Hände. In English, Hand means "hand".
Gender rule: die Hand is feminine. Body part nouns in German have mixed genders — der Finger, die Hand, das Knie — so there is no reliable ending-based rule here. The safest approach is always to learn every noun with its article from the start. See all gender patterns in the Article Rules and a full overview at the german articles.
Die Hand is an A1 vocabulary word that every German learner needs from the very beginning. It appears constantly in everyday language — from greetings to directions to expressions of emotion — and is a good example of the feminine declension pattern with an umlaut plural: die Hände. One important feature of feminine nouns is that they never change their form in the singular — the article does all the work. Understanding how cases work with feminine nouns like die Hand is an important step at A1 level. For more body part nouns, also see der Finger, der Arm, and der Hals.
Hand — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Hand | die Hände |
| Genitive | der Hand | der Hände |
| Dative | der Hand | den Händen |
| Accusative | die Hand | die Hände |
Example Sentences with Hand
Ihre Hand zittert leicht, als sie den Brief öffnet.
(Her hand trembles slightly as she opens the letter.) — Nominative
Er streckt die Hand aus und begrüßt den neuen Kollegen.
(He reaches out his hand and greets the new colleague.) — Accusative
Sie winkt mit der Hand, um ein Taxi zu rufen.
(She waves her hand to hail a taxi.) — Dative
Der Rücken der Hand war nach der Gartenarbeit rau und trocken.
(The back of her hand was rough and dry after the gardening.) — Genitive
Ihre Hände sind nach dem langen Kneten müde und warm.
(Her hands are tired and warm after the long kneading.) — Nominative Plural
Er klatscht mit den Händen im Takt der Musik.
(He claps his hands in time with the music.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie):
- das Händchen — little hand (diminutive)
- händisch — manual, done by hand (adjective)
Common compounds (Komposita):
- der Handschuh — glove
- die Handtasche — handbag
- das Handtuch — hand towel
- die Handfläche — palm (of the hand)
Common Mistake with Hand
❌ Common mistake: Er hat zwei Hands gehoben.
✅ Correct: Er hat zwei Hände gehoben.
💡 Why: The plural of die Hand is die Hände — not Hands. The -s plural is rare in German and mostly limited to certain loanwords like das Auto → die Autos. Native German nouns like die Hand follow standard plural patterns — in this case, add an umlaut and -e: die Hände.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. Sie winkt mit ___ Hand, um auf sich aufmerksam zu machen.
- A) die
- B) den
- C) der
Check Answer
The preposition mit always takes the dative case. For feminine nouns, the dative article is der: mit der Hand. Option A) die is the nominative/accusative article for feminine nouns. Option B) den is the accusative article for masculine nouns.
2. Der Rücken ___ Hand war nach der Arbeit gerötet.
- A) die
- B) der
- C) dem
Check Answer
"Der Rücken ___ Hand" — whose back? The hand's. This is a possession relationship expressed with the genitive case. For feminine nouns, the genitive article is der — and the noun itself stays unchanged: der Hand. Option A) die is nominative/accusative. Option C) dem is the dative article for masculine and neuter nouns.
3. Der Rücken der verletzt___ Hand war stark geschwollen.
- A) -e
- B) -er
- C) -en
Check Answer
After a definite article in the genitive, the adjective ending is always -en — for all three genders: der verletzten Hand. The definite article der already carries the genitive signal, so the adjective takes the weak ending -en. Option A) -e is used after a definite article in nominative/accusative feminine. Option B) -er is the strong ending for masculine nominative without an article.
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 Bauch — the belly / stomach
- das Bein — the leg
- der Finger — the finger
- das Gesicht — the face
- der Hals — the neck / throat
- das Herz — the heart
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 Hand? 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 Hand masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Hand is feminine — the correct article is die. Body part nouns in German have mixed genders, so there is no reliable rule to predict them. The best habit is always to learn every noun with its article from the start. For a full overview of gender patterns, see the Article Rules.
What is the plural of Hand in German?
The plural is die Hände — the vowel takes an umlaut (a → ä) and -e is added. Do not use Hands — the -s plural is rare in German and does not apply to native nouns like die Hand. In the dative plural, a further -n is added: den Händen.
Why does die Hand not change in the genitive singular?
Feminine nouns in German never change their form in the singular — in all four cases, the noun stays Hand. Only the article changes: die Hand (nominative/accusative) → der Hand (genitive/dative). This is an important difference from masculine and neuter nouns, which add -s or -es in the genitive singular. See the Cases Overview for more detail.
How do you say "to shake hands" in German?
The most common expressions are sich die Hand geben (literally "to give each other the hand") and Hände schütteln (to shake hands). In formal or professional contexts, jemandem die Hand reichen (to extend one's hand to someone) is also used. Note that Hände schütteln uses the accusative plural Hände.
