Friseur
/friˈzøːr/masculine
The German word for barber is Friseur. Wiktionary also lists Barbier and Bartschneider.
Meaning: person whose profession is cutting (usually male) customers' hair and beards (noun)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Friseur | /friˈzøːr/ | masculine |
| Barbier | /baʁˈbiːɐ̯/ | masculine |
| Bartschneider | masculine | |
| Bartscherer | masculine |
The term refers to a person whose profession is cutting customers' hair and beards.
Which one should you use?
Friseur is the standard, most common word for a person who cuts hair, regardless of whether they specialize in beards or not. In contrast, Barbier specifically refers to a barber who specializes in shaving and beard grooming, often in a more traditional or old-fashioned sense. Other masculine forms include Bartschneider and Bartscherer.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of Friseur is Friseurin. The plural form is Friseure.
How do you pronounce it?
/friˈzøːr/
Did you know?
- While Friseur sounds French, some linguists believe it is a 'pseudo-French' word created by adding the French suffix -eur to the German verb frisieren.
- The word Bartscherer uses the root Scheren, which refers to shearing sheep or livestock, giving the term a more rustic or blunt connotation than Friseur.
- Traditional Barbier shops in Germany often display a 'barber pole', but unlike the red and white stripes in the US, some European versions use blue, white and red.
Examples in context
- Er ging zum Friseur.He went to the barber shop.This sentence is useful for showing the use of Friseur in the context of visiting a shop.Tatoeba #8840799 by wolfgangth, translation #2520305 by Hybrid
- Ich gehe zum Friseur.I'm going to the barber.This sentence is useful for expressing a current action using Friseur.Tatoeba #8320835 by MisterTrouser, translation #12978070 by rul
- Ich gehe heute zum Friseur.I'm going to the barber today.Tatoeba #10091394 by Yorwba, translation #6559106 by ren
- Guten Tag. Ich suche einen guten Friseur.Good day. I'm looking for a good barber.
- Gibt es hier in der Nähe einen guten Frisör?Is there a good barber nearby?
- Mein Freund geht immer zum Barbier um die Ecke.My friend always goes to the barber around the corner.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah are discussing Julian's new hairstyle.
- JulianDer Friseur hat meine Haare sehr kurz geschnitten.The barber cut my hair very short.
- SarahDas sieht wirklich gut aus, Julian!That looks really good, Julian!
- JulianDanke, er war auch sehr freundlich.Thanks, he was also very friendly.
- SarahIch muss demnächst auch mal wieder zum Friseur.I need to go to the barber again soon too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “barber” translations and entries Friseur, Barbier, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Barbier, Friseur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
