Frau
/fʁaʊ̯/
The German word for Ms. is Frau.
Frau is the most common way to address a woman formally in German and is equivalent to both Mrs. and Ms. in English.
Which one should you use?
Historically, the term Fräulein was used to refer to unmarried women. However, this is now considered archaic and often offensive. Frau is used for all women regardless of their marital status.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a title before a surname, such as Frau Schmidt, the form of Frau does not change in the nominative, accusative or genitive cases.
How do you pronounce it?
/fʁaʊ̯/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often attempt to find a specific distinction between 'Mrs.' and 'Ms.' when translating to German, but Frau serves both functions.
Did you know?
- The word Frau is a cognate of the Old Norse freyja. In Norse mythology, Freyja was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility.
- The word Frau can be used to mean 'wife' or 'woman' in different contexts, not just as a formal title.
Examples in context
- Sehr geehrte Frau SchmidtDear Miss/Ms./Mrs. SchmidtThis example shows how to use Frau in a formal salutation.
- Frau Schmidt, könnten Sie bitte die Präsentation beginnen?Ms. Schmidt, could you please start the presentation?
- Guten Tag, Frau Müller.Good day, Ms. Müller.
- Frau Weber ist meine Kollegin.Ms. Weber is my colleague.
Example conversation
Sarah introduces her boss to Maximilian.
- SarahMaximilian, das ist Frau Wagner.Maximilian, this is Ms. Wagner.
- MaximilianHallo, Frau Wagner. Schön Sie zu sehen.Hello, Ms. Wagner. Nice to see you.
- SarahSie ist unsere neue Projektleiterin.She is our new project manager.
- MaximilianWillkommen im Team, Frau Wagner.Welcome to the team, Ms. Wagner.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Frau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Frau, frau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
