"Zunge" is feminine in German — the correct article is die. The plural is die Zungen. In English, Zunge means "tongue".
Gender rule: die Zunge is feminine. Nouns ending in -e are very often feminine in German, and die Zunge follows this pattern exactly — just like die Nase and die Blume (flower). See all gender patterns in the Article Rules and a full overview at the german articles.
Die Zunge is an A1–A2 vocabulary word that comes up in everyday German — from descriptions of taste to idiomatic expressions. Like all feminine nouns, die Zunge never changes its form in the singular — only the article does. The plural is die Zungen — add -n, following the standard pattern for feminine nouns ending in -e. Understanding how cases work with feminine nouns like die Zunge is an important step at A1–A2 level. For more body part nouns, also see der Zahn and der Hals.
Zunge — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Zunge | die Zungen |
| Genitive | der Zunge | der Zungen |
| Dative | der Zunge | den Zungen |
| Accusative | die Zunge | die Zungen |
Example Sentences with Zunge
Ihre Zunge ist nach dem Trinken des heißen Tees leicht verbrannt.
(Her tongue is slightly burnt after drinking the hot tea.) — Nominative
Er streckt die Zunge heraus, um die Schneeflocken aufzufangen.
(He sticks out his tongue to catch the snowflakes.) — Accusative
Mit der Zunge leckt sie den Löffel sauber.
(She licks the spoon clean with her tongue.) — Dative
Die Spitze der Zunge ist besonders empfindlich für süße Geschmäcker.
(The tip of the tongue is particularly sensitive to sweet tastes.) — Genitive
Die Zungen der Hunde hängen nach dem langen Lauf weit heraus.
(The dogs' tongues hang far out after the long run.) — Nominative Plural
Mit den Zungen schnappten die Frösche blitzschnell nach den Insekten.
(With their tongues, the frogs snapped at the insects with lightning speed.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie):
- das Züngchen — little tongue (diminutive)
- züngeln — to flicker / to lick with the tongue (verb, e.g. of flames)
Common compounds (Komposita):
- der Zungenbrecher — tongue twister
- die Zungenspitze — tip of the tongue
- der Zungenkuss — French kiss
Common Mistake with Zunge
❌ Common mistake: Die Schlangen haben gespaltene Zunges.
✅ Correct: Die Schlangen haben gespaltene Zungen.
💡 Why: The plural of die Zunge is die Zungen — not Zunges. The -s plural is rare in German and mostly limited to certain loanwords like das Auto → die Autos. Feminine nouns ending in -e always form their plural by adding -n: die Zunge → die Zungen. The same pattern applies to die Nase → die Nasen.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. Sie leckt mit ___ Zunge den Löffel ab.
- A) die
- B) dem
- C) der
Check Answer
The preposition mit always takes the dative case. For feminine nouns, the dative article is der: mit der Zunge. Option A) die is the nominative/accusative article for feminine nouns. Option B) dem is the dative article for masculine and neuter nouns.
2. Die Spitze ___ Zunge ist besonders empfindlich.
- A) die
- B) dem
- C) der
Check Answer
"Die Spitze ___ Zunge" — whose tip? The tongue'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 Zunge. Option A) die is nominative/accusative. Option B) dem is the dative article for masculine and neuter nouns.
3. Er streckt die lang___ Zunge heraus.
- A) -er
- B) -en
- C) -e
Check Answer
After a definite article in the accusative with a feminine noun, the adjective ending is -e: die lange Zunge. The definite article die already carries the feminine accusative signal, so the adjective takes the weak ending -e. Option A) -er is the strong ending for masculine nominative without an article. Option B) -en is the weak ending used 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 Bauch — the belly / stomach
- das Bein — the leg
- der Finger — the finger
- das Gesicht — the face
- der Hals — the neck / throat
- die Hand — the hand
- das Herz — the heart
- die Haut — the skin
- das Knie — the knee
- der Knochen — the bone
- der Kopf — the head
- der Muskel — the muscle
- die Nase — the nose
- das Ohr — the ear
- der Rücken — the back
- die Schulter — the shoulder
- der Zahn — the tooth
- der Zeh — the toe
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 Zunge? 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 Zunge masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Zunge is feminine — the correct article is die. Nouns ending in -e are very often feminine in German, and die Zunge follows this pattern. In the genitive and dative singular, the article changes to der — but the noun itself stays unchanged. For a full overview of gender patterns, see the Article Rules.
What is the plural of Zunge in German?
The plural is die Zungen — add -n. This is the standard plural pattern for feminine nouns ending in -e. In the dative plural, no extra -n is added because the plural already ends in -n: den Zungen.
What does "jemandem die Zunge herausstrecken" mean in German?
Jemandem die Zunge herausstrecken means to stick one's tongue out at someone — used as a cheeky or defiant gesture, just as in English. The verb is herausstrecken (to stick out), and die Zunge is the accusative object. A related expression is die Zunge im Zaum halten (to hold one's tongue / to keep quiet).
Why does die Zunge not change in the singular?
Feminine nouns in German never change their form in the singular — in all four cases, the noun stays Zunge. Only the article changes: die Zunge (nominative/accusative) → der Zunge (genitive/dative). This is an important difference from masculine and neuter nouns, which add -s or -es in the genitive. See the Cases Overview for more detail.
