How to Say "Corn" in German - How To Say Guide

Mais

/maɪ̯s/

The English word "corn" is Mais in German.

Mais refers to the tall cereal plant that produces large ears of yellow kernels.

Which one should you use?

While Mais is the standard term for corn, you should use the compound noun Maiskolben if you want to refer specifically to an "ear of corn".

In parts of Southern Germany or Austria, Kukuruz is commonly used as an alternative term for corn.

Mais is a masculine noun and takes the article der (der Mais).

/maɪ̯s/

The word Mais is phonetically identical to the English word 'mice', which can lead to humorous misunderstandings for beginners listening to a conversation.
The German word Mais is a direct loan from the Spanish maíz, which itself came from the Taíno language of the Caribbean.
While English speakers use 'corn' to mean any grain in older literature, the German Mais is strictly specific to the plant from the Americas.

Ich aß viel Mais.
I ate a lot of corn.
This sentence is useful for expressing a past action involving eating a lot of Mais.
Tatoeba #12244715 by Augustus, translation #9778834 by CK
Dieser Mais ist frisch.
This corn is fresh.
This sentence is useful for describing the freshness of Mais.
Tatoeba #10962346 by toivo, translation #2548628 by CK
„Mais?“ – „Nein, danke!“
"Some corn?" "No, thanks."
This sentence is useful for a short dialogue involving an offer of Mais.
Tatoeba #13817816 by Waldelfe, translation #8622422 by Amastan
Eine der Hauptanbaupflanzen in Deutschland ist Mais.
One of the main crops in Germany is corn.
Mais wird oft für Tierfutter verwendet.
Corn is often used for animal feed.
Hast du Lust auf eine Tüte Popcorn?
Do you feel like having a bag of popcorn?
17 more sentences on Tatoeba

Julia and Lukas are shopping at a local farmer's market.

Sources

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