How to Say "Manatee" in German

Rundschwanzseekuh

feminine

The English word manatee is translated into German as Rundschwanzseekuh or Manati.

Meaning: any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of family Trichechidae (noun)

Ways to say it

“manatee” in German
German	IPA	Note
Rundschwanzseekuh		feminine
Manati	/ˈmaːnati/ /maˈnaːti/	masculine

The term refers to any of several plant-eating marine mammals belonging to the family Trichechidae.

The word Rundschwanzseekuh is a compound noun consisting of rund (round), Schwanz (tail), See (sea) and Kuh (cow).

Rundschwanzseekuh is the descriptive German name for the animal, whereas Manati is a loanword used in German from Spanish or English.

The feminine noun Rundschwanzseekuh uses the definite article die.

The descriptive name Rundschwanzseekuh highlights the animal's 'round tail', a feature that distinguishes it from the fluked tail of a dugong.
The German word Seekuh (sea cow) is used as a general term for both manatees and dugongs. This reflects a linguistic tendency in German to group these animals under a single umbrella term based on their appearance.
Despite the word Kuh (cow) being feminine, the compound Rundschwanzseekuh remains feminine because the last element of a German compound always determines the gender.

Ich habe gestern eine Seekuh im Aquarium gesehen.
Yesterday, I saw a manatee in the aquarium.
Die Rundschwanzseekuh schwimmt im warmen Wasser.
The manatee swims in the warm water.
Die Rundschwanzseekuh frisst gerne Wasserpflanzen.
The manatee likes to eat aquatic plants.

Julia and Felix are visiting an aquarium.

Julia

Schau mal, Felix, dort ist eine Rundschwanzseekuh!
Look, Felix, there is a manatee!
Felix

Wow, sie sieht wirklich sehr friedlich aus.
Wow, it looks really peaceful.
Julia

Ja, die Rundschwanzseekuh ist ein sehr ruhiges Tier.
Yes, the manatee is a very calm animal.
Felix

Ich möchte sie gerne aus der Nähe sehen.
I would like to see it from up close.

Sources

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