How to Say "Baking" in German

Backen

/ˈbakən/neuter

The German word for "baking" is Backen.

Backen is a noun used to describe the action or process in which something is baked.

Meaning: action in which something is baked (noun)

Which one should you use?

The capitalized form Backen is the noun meaning "baking", whereas the lowercase form backen is the verb meaning "to bake".

When used as a noun to denote the act of baking, the word is capitalized and takes the neuter gender.

/ˈbakən/

The German word backen shares an ancient root with the Ancient Greek word φώγω (phṓgō), showing that the term for baking reaches back to very early Indo-European origins.
Germany has a legal tradition of Bäckerhandwerk, where the title of 'Master Baker' is a protected professional qualification requiring rigorous training and exams.
In German culture, baking is so central that many households have a Backofen (oven) and a Kaffeeklatsch, a social gathering specifically for coffee and home-baked cake.

Was backen Sie denn da?
What're you baking?
This sentence is useful for asking what someone is baking using the form Backen.
Tatoeba #7079068 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6274205 by CK
Wir backen in der Küche.
We are baking in the kitchen.
This sentence is useful for stating that people are baking in the kitchen using the form Backen.
Tatoeba #1709475 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1700551 by Amastan
Was für Kekse backen Sie?
What kind of cookies are you baking?
Tatoeba #12210777 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #12210709 by CK
Ich liebe es zu backen.
I love baking.
Das Backen erfordert Geduld und Präzision.
Baking requires patience and precision.
28 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hannah and Felix are talking about their hobbies.

Sources

Wiktionary, “baking” translations and entries Backen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry backen.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries backen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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