papier
/paːˈpiːr/neuter
Paper in Dutch is papier.
papier is the material you write on, print on or wrap things in. It also appears in compounds such as Pakpapier, wrapping paper, Inpakpapier, gift wrapping paper and Toiletpapier, toilet paper.
Meaning: sheet material (noun)
Which one should you use?
papiertje is an informal diminutive used for a small sheet of paper or a casual note.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
papier is a neuter noun, so it takes the article het, as in het papier. It is a mass noun, so to count sheets you say een vel papier, a sheet of paper. The adjective made of paper is papieren. The verb to paper a wall is behangen.
How do you pronounce it?
papier is pronounced /paːˈpiːr/, with the stress on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often say een papier for a piece of paper. Because papier is uncountable, use een vel papier instead.
Did you know?
- The Dutch often use the expression op papier to describe an idea that is perfect in theory but likely to fail in practice.
- While papier refers to the material, the Dutch use the word krant (meaning 'newspaper') when asking for 'the paper' in a general sense, such as Heb je de krant al gelezen? (Have you read the paper already?).
- The Dutch word papier is a direct linguistic relative of the English 'paper', as both originated from the Old French word papier.
Examples in context
- Het papier is wit.The paper is white.Het papier uses het because papier is neuter.Tatoeba #1306774 by martinod, translation #853345 by adalpari
- Dit papier is wit.This paper is white.Dit papier uses Dit, the neuter word for this.Tatoeba #9074521 by MarijnKp, translation #1764976 by CK
- Er is geen wc-papier!There's no toilet paper!wc-papier is a common everyday word for toilet paper.Tatoeba #7701300 by MarijnKp, translation #5803465 by Hybrid
- Ik heb het document nodig voor mijn presentatie.I need the paper for my presentation.
- Kunt u mij het papier geven?Can you give me the paper?
- Kun je me dat papiertje geven?Can you give me that piece of paper?
- Ik schreef het telefoonnummer op een velletje.I wrote the phone number on a piece of paper.
- Kan ik wat papier van je gebruiken?Can I use some paper from you?
- Heb je toevallig nog een papiertje liggen?Do you happen to have a piece of paper lying around?
- Natuurlijk, neem wat papier.Of course, take some paper.
- Ja, ik heb nog wel een paar papiertjes voor je.Yes, I still have a few pieces of paper for you.
- 112 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daan and Lisa are at a desk in an office.
- DaanHeb je nog een vel papier?Do you have a sheet of paper?
- LisaJa, hier is het papier.Yes, here is the paper.
- DaanBedankt, dat helpt mij enorm.Thanks, that helps me a lot.
- LisaGeen probleem, Daan.No problem, Daan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paper” translations and entries papier, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries papier, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
