Reis
/ʁaɪ̯s/masculine
The German word for rice is Reis.
Reis refers to the seeds used as food. You can specify different varieties such as Langkornreis (long-grain rice), Vollkornreis (brown rice), Jasminreis (jasmine rice) or Basmatireis (basmati rice).
Meaning: seeds used as food (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular masculine form is Reis. The genitive singular form, meaning "of rice", is Reises. While the plural form Reisen exists, it is rarely used because rice is typically treated as an uncountable mass noun in German.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁaɪ̯s/
Did you know?
- In German, Reis is a homonym. While it means 'rice', it can also refer to a 'twig' or a thin 'branch' of a tree.
- The word Reis travels through a long chain of history, originating from Ancient Greek ὄρῡζα (órūza) before reaching Latin and eventually Middle High German.
- German has a specific word Reisbeilage for a side dish of rice, often used in menus to describe the accompaniment to a main course.
Examples in context
- Er baut Reis an.He grows rice.This sentence is useful for showing the verb for growing rice with Reis.Tatoeba #3153208 by Dani6187, translation #303538 by CK
- Ich baue Reis an.I grow rice.Tatoeba #12454719 by Augustus, translation #5828944 by CK
- So kocht man Reis.This is how to cook rice.This sentence is useful for showing how to cook rice with Reis.Tatoeba #6642920 by Felixjp, translation #3144248 by gustonrankin
- Ich hätte gerne eine Portion Reis bitte.I would like a portion of rice, please.
- Der Langkornreis eignet sich am besten für dieses Rezept.Long-grain rice works best for this recipe.
- Hast du Reis für das Abendessen gekauft?Did you buy rice for dinner?
- Eine Schüssel ReisA bowl of rice
- Gewürzter ReisFlavored rice
- Gebratener ReisFried rice
- Gekochter ReisCooked rice
- 317 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Lukas are in the kitchen preparing dinner.
- JuliaHast du den Reis schon gekocht, Lukas?Have you cooked the rice yet, Lukas?
- LukasJa, der Reis ist fast fertig.Yes, the rice is almost ready.
- JuliaSuper, ich decke schon mal den Tisch.Great, I'll set the table now.
- LukasAlles klar, ich bringe ihn gleich.All right, I'll bring it shortly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rice” translations and entries Reis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Reis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
