männlich
/ˈmɛnlɪç/
To say male in German, use männlich. It describes a person or animal of the male sex.
männlich is the standard word for male, used for people, animals and on forms that ask for sex or gender.
Meaning: human of masculine sex or gender (noun)
Which one should you use?
männlich is an adjective. It is different from the noun Mann, which means man, an adult male human. In the sense of grammatical gender, maskulin is often used with the same meaning of masculine.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Before a noun männlich takes an ending that depends on the gender and case of the noun, such as männliche for feminine or plural nouns in the nominative case and männlichen in many masculine and plural patterns, as in den männlichen Erben.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈmɛnlɪç/. The stress is on the first syllable and the final sound is a soft ch made with the tongue near the roof of the mouth.
Did you know?
- In Old Norse, the ancestor of männlich meant 'human' in general rather than specifically 'male'.
- The suffix -lich in männlich is a linguistic mirror to the English suffix 'like' used in words such as 'childlike' or 'lifelike'.
- The term männliche Linie is used in German legal and genealogical records to track patrilineal inheritance, which was historically vital for European nobility.
Examples in context
- Tom starb ohne männliche Erben.Tom died without any male heirs.männliche Erben means male heirs.Tatoeba #9237659 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #9237657 by CK
- Ein Junge ist ein männliches Kind.A boy is a male child.männliches Kind means male child.Tatoeba #2732279 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2951072 by AlanF_US
- Ein Ganter ist eine männliche Gans.A gander is a male goose.männliche Gans means male goose.Tatoeba #12531864 by Vortarulo, translation #10888741 by megamanenm
- Hast du den neuen Typen in der Nachbarschaft getroffen?Did you meet the new guy in the neighborhood?
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Felix are discussing a survey they are conducting.
- LauraIst die erste Person in der Liste männlich?Is the first person on the list male?
- FelixJa, das ist ein Mann.Yes, that is a man.
- LauraUnd die zweite Person?And the second person?
- FelixDie zweite Person ist nicht männlich.The second person is not male.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry männlich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries männlich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
