Österreicher
/ˈøːstəʁaɪçɐ/
The German word for Austrian is Österreicher.
Österreicher is a noun used to refer to an Austrian person.
Meaning: related to Austria (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use Österreicher when referring to the person, but use österreichisch when you want to describe something as being Austrian, such as Austrian culture or food.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
German nouns for people are gendered. Use Österreicher for an Austrian man and Österreicherin for an Austrian woman. For the masculine noun Österreicher, the singular and plural forms are identical.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈøːstəʁaɪçɐ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the noun Österreicher as an adjective. Instead of using the noun to describe something, you should use the adjective österreichisch, such as in österreichisches Bier (Austrian beer).
Did you know?
- While Österreicher is the standard term, people from Austria often use the word Ösi as a casual, shortened slang term for an Austrian.
- The name for the country and its people comes from the Old High German word 'Ostarrîchi', which literally means 'Eastern Realm'.
- While Österreicher refers to a citizen of the Republic of Austria, the term Österreicher historically referred to subjects of the Habsburg Empire, which spanned multiple modern countries.
Examples in context
- Er ist kein Deutscher, sondern Österreicher.He's not German, but Austrian.This sentence is useful for contrasting an Austrian person with a German person using Österreicher.Tatoeba #3196427 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2944270 by Hybrid
- Österreicher und Schweizer essen viele Süßigkeiten.Austrian and Swiss people eat a lot of sweets.This sentence uses Österreicher to refer to Austrian people in a plural context.Tatoeba #7841664 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #7841410 by shekitten
- Jeder, der in Österreich geboren wird, ist Österreicher.Whoever is born in Austria, is an Austrian.This sentence uses Österreicher to define an Austrian person based on their place of birth.Tatoeba #3327581 by Zaghawa, translation #2909325 by Ricardo14
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are talking about their new neighbor.
- JuliaIst der neue Nachbar Österreicher?Is the new neighbor Austrian?
- JulianJa, er kommt aus Wien.Yes, he comes from Vienna.
- JuliaDas ist toll, ich mag Österreicher sehr.That's great, I like Austrians very much.
- JulianIch glaube, er ist sehr nett.I think he is very nice.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Österreicher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Österreicher, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
