indisch
In German, the English phrase "indian" (of India) is translated as indisch.
The word indisch is an adjective used to describe things relating to the country of India, such as food, cuisine or legends. When referring to people from India, you should use the nouns Inder for a male or Inderin for a female. To describe an individual of or related to the aboriginal people of the Americas, the terms Indianer or Indianerin are used instead.
Meaning: of India (adj)
Which one should you use?
The adjective indisch refers to things from India, whereas the nouns Inder and Inderin refer to the people themselves. Note that Indianer refers specifically to the indigenous peoples of the Americas rather than people from the country of India.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, indisch changes its ending depending on the gender, number and case of the noun it modifies. For example, the form indische is used for feminine singular or plural nouns in the nominative and accusative cases.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the adjective indisch as a noun to refer to a person. In German, you must use the nouns Inder (male) or Inderin (female) when talking about an individual from India.
Did you know?
- While indisch refers to India, the word indianisch is sometimes used specifically to describe things relating to the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
- German has a specific noun, Indianertum, to describe the overall culture and lifestyle of Native Americans.
- In some contexts, the term Indianer is being replaced by Indigene or Ureinwohner to be more precise and respectful.
Examples in context
- Er isst gerne indisch.He likes Indian food.This sentence shows how to use indisch when describing food preferences.Tatoeba #1918567 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1916141 by Spamster
- Ich mag die indische Küche.I like Indian food.This sentence demonstrates the use of indische as a modified adjective for cuisine.Tatoeba #13457462 by Waldelfe, translation #6033427 by CK
- Es gibt viele alte indische Legenden.There are many old Indian legends.This sentence illustrates how to use the adjective when describing legends.Tatoeba #3280415 by Zaghawa, translation #239832 by CK
- Mein Kollege ist ein indischer Staatsangehöriger.My colleague is an Indian citizen.
- Ich habe gestern einen Inder im Park getroffen.I met an Indian guy in the park yesterday.
- Das indische Essen hier ist fantastisch!The Indian food here is fantastic!
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Hannah are discussing their travel plans at a cafe.
- JulianHast du indisch gekocht?Did you cook Indian food?
- HannahNein, ich habe indische Gewürze benutzt.No, I used Indian spices.
- JulianDas riecht wunderbar.That smells wonderful.
- HannahDanke, Julian.Thanks, Julian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “indian” translations and entries indisch, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
