welcher
/ˈvɛlçər/masculine
The German word for 'which' is welcher.
welcher is an interrogative used to mean 'what, of those mentioned or implied'.
Meaning: (interrogative) what, of those mentioned or implied (det)
Which one should you use?
While was means 'what' in a general sense, welcher is used specifically when choosing from a limited, identifiable set of options.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of 'which' must change to match the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and the grammatical case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) of the noun it modifies. For a masculine noun in the accusative case, such as when the 'which' object is the direct object of a sentence, you would use welchen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈvɛlçər/
Did you know?
- The German welcher and the English 'which' are essentially linguistic cousins, both descending from the same Proto-Germanic root *hwilīkaz.
- Because welcher specifies a limited set, using it instead of was can subtly signal to a listener that you believe there are only a few correct answers possible.
- In some Southern German dialects, the pronunciation of the ch sound in welcher shifts from a soft hiss to a more guttural sound.
Examples in context
- Welcher Zahn tut weh?Which tooth hurts?Tatoeba #1341973 by al_ex_an_der, translation #403281 by CK
- Welcher ist dein Vater?Which one is your dad?Tatoeba #10967030 by Yorwba, translation #11126748 by sundown
- Welcher Hund gehört Tom?Which dog is Tom's?Tatoeba #8879354 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6663096 by CK
- Welcher gefällt Ihnen besser?Which one do you like better?
- Welche Option ist die richtige?Which option is the correct one?
- Welchen Kurs bevorzugen Sie?Which course do you prefer?
- Welche davon magst du am liebsten?Which one do you like the most?
- Welche Option ziehst du vor?Which option do you prefer?
- Welche soll ich nehmen?Which one should I choose?
- An welchem Strand waren Sie?Which beach were you at?
- In welchem Restaurant hast du gegessen?In which restaurant did you eat?
- 230 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are choosing a drink at a cafe.
- JuliaWelcher Tee schmeckt dir?Which tea do you like?
- MaximilianDer grüne Tee ist gut.The green tea is good.
- JuliaSoll ich ihn für dich bestellen?Should I order it for you?
- MaximilianJa, bitte, Julia.Yes, please, Julia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “which” translations and entries welcher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries welcher, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
