Schwiizerdütsch
Swiss German
Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Alemannic)
Swiss German (Schwiizerdütsch / Schweizerdeutsch) is the Alemannic dialect cluster spoken across German-speaking Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It diverges substantially from Standard German in phonology, lexicon, and morphology — including the absence of the preterite tense and distinct High German Consonant Shift outcomes (e.g., k → x, as in chind "child"). Diglossia is the norm: Standard German for writing and formal speech, Swiss German for everyday spoken use including media.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Swiss German
Water
Wasser
/vasːər/
Fire
Füür
/fyːr/
Sun
Sunne
/sʊnə/
Moon
Mond
/moːnd/
Star
Stärn
/ʃtærn/
Mother
Mueter
/muə̯tər/
Father
Vatter
/fatər/
I
ich
/ɪx/
You
du
/duː/
Name
Name
/ˈnaːmə/
Eye
Aug
/aʊ̯ɡ/
Hand
Hand
/hand/
Heart
Härz
/hærts/
Love
Liebi
/liə̯bi/
Tree
Baum
/baʊ̯m/
House
Huus
/huːs/
Dog
Hund
/hʊnd/
Cat
Chatz
/xats/
Eat
ässe
/æsə/
Drink
trinke
/trɪŋkə/
One
eis
/æɪ̯s/
Two
zwöi
/tsʋøi/
Hello
Grüezi
/ɡryə̯tsi/
Thank you
Merci
/mɛrsi/
Good
guet
/ɡuə̯t/
Cuckoo
Gugger
/ˈɡʊɡər/
Computer
Computer
/komˈpjuːtər/
Sushi
Sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Alemannic) languages
| Meaning | Swiss German | Walser | Walliser German | German (Swiss) | East Franconian | Kölsch | Swabian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /ʋasːər/ | Wasser /ˈvasər/ | Wasser /vasːə/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasə/ |
| Fire | Füür /fyːr/ | Für /fyːr/ | Fyyr /fyːr/ | Feuer /ˈfɔɪ̯ər/ | Feier /faɪɐ/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Feuer /foiɐ/ |
| Sun | Sunne /sʊnə/ | Sunna /sʊnːa/ | Sunna /ˈsʊnːa/ | Sonne /ˈsɔnə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sonn /zɔn/ | Sonne /sonə/ |
| Moon | Mond /moːnd/ | Maa /maː/ | Mánu /ˈmaːnʊ/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnd/ |
| Star | Stärn /ʃtærn/ | Stärn /ʃtærn/ | Stäru /ˈʃtæru/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stään /ʃtɛːn/ | Schtern /ʃtɛrn/ |
| Mother | Mueter /muə̯tər/ | Müeter /myə̯tər/ | Mu̜eter /ˈmuə̯tər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mädder /mɛdɐ/ |
| Father | Vatter /fatər/ | Atti /atːi/ | Vattär /ˈfatːær/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Vatter /fatɐ/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ |
| I | ich /ɪx/ | ich /ix/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪx/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪɕ/ | i /i/ |
| You | du /duː/ | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | do /doː/ | du /du/ |
| Name | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnamə/ | Namu /ˈnamu/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Nama /ˈnamɐ/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Nama /ˈnamə/ |
| Eye | Aug /aʊ̯ɡ/ | Oug /oʊɡ/ | Oig /ɔɪ̯ɡ/ | Auge /ˈaʊɡə/ | Aach /aːx/ | Auch /aʊx/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ |
| Hand | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hand/ |
| Heart | Härz /hærts/ | Hërz /hɛrts/ | Härz /hærts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Hätz /hɛts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ |
| Love | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebi /ˈliə̯bi/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Leev /leːf/ | Liab /liə̯b/ |
| Tree | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Boum /boʊm/ | Boum /bɔʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊm/ | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | Boum /baʊm/ | Baum /baum/ |
| House | Huus /huːs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Hous /haus/ |
| Dog | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hung /hʊŋk/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hongk /hoŋk/ | Hond /hond/ |
| Cat | Chatz /xats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Chatza /ˈxatsa/ | Katze /ˈkɑtːsə/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ |
| Eat | ässe /æsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | ässu /ˈæsːʊ/ | essen /ˈɛsn̩/ | esse /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | essa /ɛsə/ |
| Drink | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trichu /ˈtrɪxʊ/ | trinken /ˈtrɪŋkn̩/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | drinke /dʁɪŋkə/ | drengga /dɾɛŋɡə/ |
| One | eis /æɪ̯s/ | eins /æɪ̯ns/ | eis /æɪ̯s/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | ans /ans/ | ein /aɪn/ | oine /ɔinə/ |
| Two | zwöi /tsʋøi/ | zwei /tsʋei/ | zwei /tsvɛi/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwaa /tsvaː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwoi /tsvoɪ̯/ |
| Hello | Grüezi /ɡryə̯tsi/ | Grüössi /ɡryə̯sːi/ | Tagwol /ˈtaɡʋol/ | Hallo /haˈloː/ | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | Tach /tax/ | Grüß Gott /ɡryːs ɡɔt/ |
| Thank you | Merci /mɛrsi/ | Vergelts Gott /fɛrɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Vergälts Gott /ferˈɡæltsɡot/ | danke /ˈdaŋkə/ | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Dankeschön /daŋkəʃøːn/ | Danggschee /daŋkʃeː/ |
| Good | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | güet /ɡyə̯t/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | joot /joːt/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ |
| Cuckoo | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Gutzgauch /ˈɡʊtsɡaʊx/ | — | Guckguck /ˈɡʊkɡʊk/ |
| Computer | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːdɐ/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtɐ/ | — |
| Sushi | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | — |
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