Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hühnchen | /ˈhyːn.çən/ | neuter |
| Huhn | /huːn/ | neuter |
| Hähnchen | /ˈhɛːnçən/ | neuter |
| Küchlein | /ˈkyːçlaɪ̯n/ /ˈkʏçlaɪ̯n/ |
neuter |
| Hue | Alemannic German, feminine | |
| Huen | Alemannic German, feminine |
In German, the word you choose for chicken depends heavily on whether you are discussing the living animal, the meat as an ingredient or a specific culinary dish.
Which one should you use?
Use Huhn when referring to the living animal or the species in general. When discussing food, use Hähnchen for a small chicken prepared as a dish, such as a roast chicken. While Hühnchen is often used interchangeably with Hähnchen for food, it literally denotes a diminutive form meaning a little chicken. If you are talking about chicken as a general meat ingredient, such as in the phrase "I eat chicken", Germans often use the bare noun Huhn.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austrian German and southern German regions like Bavaria, the informal term Gickerl is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of Huhn is Hühner. When referring to the culinary item, the word Hähnchen is used for both singular and plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/ˈhyːn.çən/', 'syllables': 2, 'stressed_syllable': '1 of 2'}
Did you know?
- Calling someone a Hühnchen in a social context can sometimes be used as a mild, diminutive term for a petite or fragile person.
- The word Hähnchen is built by combining the word for a rooster, Hahn, with the diminutive suffix '-chen'.
- The word Henne is often used specifically to refer to a female chicken, distinguishing it from the more general term Huhn.
Examples in context
- Er fing das Huhn.He caught the chicken.This sentence shows how to use Huhn to refer to catching the animal.Tatoeba #1690599 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1690042 by Spamster
- Das Huhn ist roh.The chicken is raw.This sentence demonstrates Huhn used to describe the state of the animal.Tatoeba #4109160 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4104550 by Hybrid
- Ich esse oft Huhn.I often eat chicken.This sentence illustrates using Huhn to refer to chicken as a food ingredient.Tatoeba #7806254 by tiuwiu, translation #1830585 by CK
- Ich möchte ein gegrilltes Hähnchen bestellenI would like to order a grilled chicken
- Lass uns heute Abend Hühnchen essenLet's have chicken for dinner tonight
- Lass uns einen Broiler für die Party kaufenLet's buy a broiler chicken for the party
- Wir haben heute ein Gickerl im SuppentopfWe have a chicken in the soup pot today
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Lukas are looking at a baby bird in the garden.
- JuliaSchau mal, ein kleines Hühnchen!Look, a little chicken!
- LukasOh, es ist wirklich süß.Oh, it is really cute.
- JuliaWo ist das Hühnchen jetzt?Where is the chicken now?
- LukasEs läuft zu seiner Mutter.It is walking to its mother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chicken” translations and entries Hühnchen, Huhn, Hähnchen, Küchlein, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Huhn, Hähnchen, Hühnchen, Küchlein, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
