Schweizer Hochdeutsch
German (Swiss)
Germanic
Swiss Standard German (Schweizer Hochdeutsch) is the formal written standard of German used in German-speaking Switzerland (~5M people) — distinct from the Alemannic dialect (Swiss German, gsw) of everyday speech. One of the three national standard varieties of German, it omits the letter ß (writing ss), is more monophthongal, has a typically alveolar or uvular r, and carries French/Italian loanwords (Velo 'bicycle', Billett 'ticket').
Where it is spoken
31 core words in German (Swiss)
Water
Wasser
/ˈvasər/
Fire
Feuer
/ˈfɔɪ̯ər/
Sun
Sonne
/ˈsɔnə/
Moon
Mond
/moːnt/
Star
Stern
/ʃtɛrn/
Mother
Mutter
/ˈmʊtər/
Father
Vater
/ˈfaːtər/
I
ich
/ɪx/
You
du
/duː/
Name
Name
/ˈnaːmə/
Eye
Auge
/ˈaʊɡə/
Hand
Hand
/hant/
Heart
Herz
/hɛrts/
Love
Liebe
/ˈliːbə/
Tree
Baum
/baʊm/
House
Haus
/haʊs/
Dog
Hund
/hʊnt/
Cat
Katze
/ˈkɑtːsə/
Eat
essen
/ˈɛsn̩/
Drink
trinken
/ˈtrɪŋkn̩/
One
eins
/aɪ̯ns/
Two
zwei
/tsvai/
Hello
Hallo
/haˈloː/
Thank you
danke
/ˈdaŋkə/
Good
gut
/ɡuːt/
Cuckoo
Kuckuck
/ˈkʊkʊk/
Computer
Computer
/komˈpjuːtər/
Sushi
Sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Words compared
Compared with related Germanic languages
| Meaning | German (Swiss) | German (Luxembourgish) | German | Early New High German (Luther-era) | German (Austrian) | Pennsylvania German | Kölsch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /ˈvasər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /ˈvasːər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ |
| Fire | Feuer /ˈfɔɪ̯ər/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Fewr /foɪ̯r/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | Feier /faɪər/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ |
| Sun | Sonne /ˈsɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /ˈzɔnə/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sonn /zɔn/ |
| Moon | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Muun /muːn/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Schteern /ʃteːrn/ | Stään /ʃtɛːn/ |
| Mother | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdər/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ |
| Father | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | Daadi /daːdi/ | Vatter /fatɐ/ |
| I | ich /ɪx/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪɕ/ |
| You | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | do /doː/ |
| Name | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Naame /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | Auge /ˈaʊɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Aug /aʊk/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | Aag /aːk/ | Auch /aʊx/ |
| Hand | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Handt /hant/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | Herz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Hertz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Hatz /hats/ | Hätz /hɛts/ |
| Love | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | liewe /liːvə/ | Leev /leːf/ |
| Tree | Baum /baʊm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Bawm /baʊm/ | Baum /baːm/ | Baam /baːm/ | Boum /baʊm/ |
| House | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Hauß /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Huus /huːs/ |
| Dog | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hongk /hoŋk/ |
| Cat | Katze /ˈkɑtːsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /ˈkatsə/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ |
| Eat | essen /ˈɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ˈɛsːən/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | esse /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ |
| Drink | trinken /ˈtrɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trincken /ˈtrɪŋkən/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ | drinke /dʁɪŋkə/ |
| One | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eyn /aɪ̯n/ | oans /ɑːns/ | eens /eːns/ | ein /aɪn/ |
| Two | zwei /tsvai/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwey /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwee /tsveː/ | zwei /tsvai/ |
| Hello | Hallo /haˈloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Gott zum Gruß /ɡɔt tsʊm ɡruːs/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Tach /tax/ |
| Thank you | danke /ˈdaŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | Danck /daŋk/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | Denki /dɛŋki/ | Dankeschön /daŋkəʃøːn/ |
| Good | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | joot /joːt/ |
| Cuckoo | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | gukuk /ˈɡukuk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | — | — |
| Computer | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | — | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Rechenmeister /ˈrɛçənˌmaɪstər/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtɐ/ |
| Sushi | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | — | Sushi /ˈzuːʃi/ | Stockfisch /ˈʃtɔkfɪʃ/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | — | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ |
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