How to Say "Zombie" in German

Zombie

/ˈt͡sɔmbi/masculine

The English phrase 'zombie' is translated into German as Zombie.

The word refers to the undead as a noun.

Meaning: the undead (noun)

Which one should you use?

While Zombie is the common term, the formal term for zombie in German is Untoter.

The plural of Zombie is Zombies.

/ˈtsɔmbi/

The word Zombie entered the German language via English, but its roots trace back to the Bantu languages of Central Africa.
The word Zombie in German is pronounced with a 'ts' sound at the beginning, much like the word 'cats', instead of the English 'z' sound.
When describing a zombie's movement, Germans might use the word schlurfen, which describes a specific type of shuffling or dragging of the feet.

Tom ist ein Zombie.
Tom is a zombie.
This sentence is useful for identifying someone as a Zombie.
Tatoeba #11639938 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #7367396 by Hybrid
Der Zombie biß Rodrigo.
The zombie bit Rodrigo.
This sentence shows an action performed by a Zombie.
Tatoeba #13607310 by Waldelfe, translation #11785047 by Amastan
Der Zombie-Weltuntergang ist nahe.
The zombie apocalypse is nigh!
This sentence uses Zombie in the context of an apocalypse.
Tatoeba #916818 by Esperantostern, translation #639930 by meiko452
Der Untoter verfolgte seine Opfer durch die nächtlichen Straßen.
The zombie chased its victims through the nightly streets.
Das war ein echt gruseliger Zombie-Film, den ich mir gestern angesehen habe.
That was a really creepy zombie movie I watched yesterday.
7 more sentences on Tatoeba

Julia and Felix are watching a horror movie together.

Sources

Wiktionary, “zombie” translations and entries Zombie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries Zombie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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