German words starting with R

518 words. Each one has its meanings, a checked example sentence with a word-by-word translation, and audio.

der Rabatt discount (reduction in price)
der Rabbi rabbi (Jewish religious scholar)
der Rabbiner rabbi (Jewish religious scholar; male or unspecified gender)
der Rabe raven
die Rache revenge; vengeance
der Rachen throat, pharynx (interior of the front of the neck)
rächen to revenge; to avenge
das Rad wheel
der Radar radar
rädern to break on the wheel, to execute by breaking wheel
das Radfahren cycling
der Radfahrer cyclist, bicycle rider
der Radfahrstreifen cycle lane (marked on the road)
der Radiergummi eraser, rubber
das Radieschen radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, syn. Raphanus sativus)
radikal radical
die Radikalisierung radicalization
das Radio radio (technology that allows broadcasters to transmit audio programs; such programs)
der Radiosender radio station
der Radius radius (bone)
der Radler shandy (beer mixed with lemonade)
der Radsport cycling
die Radtour bike ride, cycling tour
der Radweg bicycle lane
die Rage fury, rage, impetuousness
der Rahm cream (milkfat)
rahmen to frame
der Rahmen frame, scope
die Rahmenbedingung basic condition
der Rain field margin, balk (grassy strip of uncultivated land between two fields)
die Rakete rocket, missile
die Rallye rally
die Rampe ramp
das Rampenlicht limelight, stage lighting
ran near, close to, over to
der Rand edge, brink, rim (outer part of something)
die Rande beetroot
random random (selected for no particular reason)
der Rang rank, a level in a hierarchy (but not so much an according title, for which Dienstgrad and Amtsbezeichnung / Amtstitel)
die Rangliste ranking list, leaderboard, league table
ranken to climb, trail (of a plant)
der Rap rap, rap music (music style)
der Rapper rapper (performer of rap music)
rar scarce; seldom found and therefore in demand
rasch quick, rapid, swift
der Rasen lawn
Rasen mähen to mow the lawn
der Rasenmäher lawnmower
der Rasenplatz grass court
rasieren to shave
der Rasierer razor (tool for shaving)
die Rasse race (subspecies), breed
der Rassismus racism
der Rassist racist (person)
rassistisch racist
die Rast rest, break, halt (a pause during a march, hike or journey)
der Rastplatz A resting area by a road or motorway, often with toilets and benches, but with no petrol station or motel and at most small-scale catering
die Raststätte service area, rest stop (on a motorway)
der Rat advice, counsel
die Rate installment, instalment
raten to advise; to recommend
der Ratgeber advisor, counselor (male or of unspecified gender)
das Rathaus city hall, town hall (city council meeting house)
die Ratio reason (capacity of rational thinking)
ratsam advisable
der Ratschlag piece of advice; (in plural) advice
das Rätsel riddle, puzzle, mystery, enigma
die Ratte rat
rau rough
der Raub robbery, heist
rauben to rob, to steal (criminal act)
der Räuber robber, thief
der Raubüberfall robbery, holdup, raid
der Rauch smoke, fume
rauchen to smoke, give off smoke
der Rauchmelder smoke detector
das Rauchverbot smoking ban
rauf up, up here, upstairs (towards the speaker)
der Raum room, chamber
räumen to clear an area of debris, snow, mines, or other impediments
die Raumfahrt space travel, spaceflight (the activity or field)
räumlich spatial
das Raumschiff spaceship, spacecraft
die Raumstation space station
die Räumung clearance (the act of clearing)
die Raupe caterpillar (larva)
raus out, out of there, outta there
rausbringen to release
der Rausch high, flush, intoxication
rauschen to rustle, crackle, whiz, fizz (make a continuous sound, e.g. of foliage in the wind, waves at shore, a radio without reception)
das Rauschgift drug, narcotic, junk (psychoactive substance, especially one which is illegal)
rausgehen to go out
die Razzia police raid
reagieren to react; to respond
die Reaktion reaction (responding or countering action)
der Reaktor reactor (container for nuclear, chemical or biological processes)
real real (that has physical existence)
der Real real (Brazilian and former Portuguese currency unit)
realisieren to realize (to make real, to implement)
die Realisierung realization, implementation (carrying out)
der Realismus realism
realistisch realistic
die Realität reality (state of being real)
die Realschule A type of secondary school
der Rebell rebel
die Rebellion rebellion
der Rebound rebound
rechen to rake
die Rechenschaft account, accountability
die Recherche research, investigation (many contexts, but especially journalism)
recherchieren to research, to investigate
rechnen to count, reckon, calculate, compute
der Rechner computer
die Rechnung bill, restaurant bill
recht proper, correct
das Recht right, privilege
die Rechte right (right hand or side)
das Rechteck rectangle
rechten to argue
rechtens legal(ly), proper(ly), licit(ly) (according to all applicable laws and rules)
rechtfertigen to justify, to defend (a chosen course of action or behavior; of a person)
die Rechtfertigung justification
rechtlich legal
rechts on the right
rechts vor links right before left (default priority rule)
der Rechtsanwalt lawyer
die Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung notice of your right to appeal (at the end of a Bescheid)
die Rechtsberatung legal advice
der Rechtschreibfehler misspelling
die Rechtschreibung orthography
rechtsextrem far-right
der Rechtsextremismus right-wing extremism, far-right extremism
rechtskräftig legally valid, final
die Rechtslage legal situation, legal position
die Rechtsprechung case law
rechtsradikal far-right, radical right-wing
der Rechtsstaat constitutional state: a state based on law
die Rechtsstaatlichkeit rule of law (the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced)
der Rechtsstreit legal dispute, lawsuit, litigation
rechtswidrig unlawful
rechtzeitig in time
recken to stretch (one's muscles)
das Recycling recycling (process)
der Redakteur editor (male or of unspecified gender)
die Redaktion editing
die Rede speech, address
reden to talk, to speak, to orate
die Redewendung expression, figure of speech, idiom, phrase, turn of phrase
der Redner speaker (one who makes a speech)
die Reduktion reduction
reduzieren to reduce
reduziert reduced (all senses)
die Reduzierung reduction
die Reederei shipping company
das Referat oral report, presentation (brief verbal or slideshow-supported introduction to a topic, especially at conferences and as a graded exercise in education)
der Referendar trainee teacher in the practical training phase (Referendariat)
das Referendum referendum (direct popular vote on a proposed law or other political decision)
der Referent referee (person who gives a reference)
die Referenz reference (measurement one can compare to)
reflektieren to reflect
der Reflektor reflector
der Reflex reflex
die Reflexion reflection (act of reflecting; thinking)
die Reform reform
die Reformation reformation
der Refrain chorus, refrain (repeated part of a song or poem)
das Regal a rack of shelves, shelving, a shelf (in this collective sense), e.g. an open bookcase
die Regel rule
der Regelfall normal case, standard case (im Regelfall = as a rule, normally)
regelmäßig regularly, periodically, on a regular basis, routinely
regeln to regulate
regelrecht downright
die Regelung regulation
das Regelwerk set of regulations
regen to move (a small amount or unconsciously)
der Regen rain
der Regenbogen rainbow
der Regenfall rainfall
der Regenguss heavy shower, downpour
der Regenschirm umbrella (used for protection against rain)
die Regentonne rain barrel, water butt
der Regenwald rainforest
das Regenwasser rainwater
der Regenwurm earthworm
die Regenzeit rainy season, wet season
der Reggae reggae
die Regie direction (work of the director in cinema or theater)
regieren to govern
die Regierung government/administration
der Regierungsbezirk administrative district (in some German federal states)
die Regierungsbildung government formation, the formation of a government
der Regierungschef head of government
das Regime regime (government)
das Regiment regiment (unit)
die Region region
regional regional
der Regisseur director (male or of unspecified gender)
das Register register (formal recording of names, events, transactions etc.)
registrieren to register
registriert registered
die Registrierung registration
regnen to rain
regulär regular; conventional; scheduled; permanently organised; in line with law, normal practice, etc.; legitimate
regulieren to regulate
die Regulierung regulation
das Reh roe deer (small deer species, Capreolus capreolus)
die Reha rehab (rehabilitation)
die Rehabilitation rehabilitation (process of returning or assisting to return to good health and societal integration, usually of disabled or formerly sick people, or criminals)
die Reibe grater
reiben to rub; to chafe
die Reibung friction
reibungslos smooth (without difficulty, problems, or unexpected consequences or incidents)
reich rich, wealthy (having a lot of money and possessions)
das Reich empire or significant State
reichen to reach (extend a certain distance)
reichlich more than enough, abundant, copious, plentiful
der Reichsbürger Reichsbürger (adherent of a German far-right movement that denies the legitimacy of the Federal Republic)
der Reichtum wealth, richness
die Reichweite range (The maximum distance of a weapon, radio station, sensor, vehicle without refueling, etc.)
reif ripe
der Reif frost, hoar frost (cover of minute ice crystals on a surface)
der Reifen tyre; tire
der Reifenheber tyre lever
der Reigen a round dance; roundelay
die Reihe row
reihen to line up; to arrange (according to some structure)
die Reihenfolge order, sequence
der Reim rhyme (poetic device)
rein pure, clear, plain
reinfallen to fall into
die Reinheit purity
reinigen to clean
der Reiniger cleaner, cleaning agent (a product used for cleaning)
die Reinigung cleaning, cleansing, purification
reinkommen to come in
reinstecken to insert, stick in, stick into
reinziehen to consume, to inhale, to down (drugs, food, drinks, especially when done carelessly or greedily)
der Reis rice
die Reise journey, travel
das Reisebüro travel agency
der Reiseführer tourist guide, tour guide
die Reisekosten traveling expenses
reisen to travel
der Reisepass passport
die Reiseversicherung travel insurance
das Reiseziel destination (the place set for the end of a journey, or to which something is sent)
reißen to tear (something); to pull (something) apart; to rip (something)
der Reißverschluss zipper
reiten to ride; to do horseriding
der Reiter rider (one who rides a horse)
reizen to irritate (to cause or induce displeasure or irritation)
die Reklamation complaint about a faulty item
reklamieren to complain about a faulty item
die Rekonstruktion reconstruction
der Rekord record (most extreme known value of some achievement)
die Rekrutierung recruitment (employees; labour; for military, etc)
der Rektor headmaster, rector of a school or university (male or of unspecified gender)
die Relation relation
relativ relative
der Release release
das Release-Center a center of the Release charity
die Relegation a play-off between teams from different leagues deciding about promotion and relegation
relevant relevant
die Relevanz relevance
das Relief relief (kind of sculpture)
die Religion religion
die Religionsfreiheit freedom of religion
religiös religious (concerning religion)
das Remake remake (of a film)
remis in a draw; the result being a draw
das Ren reindeer
die Renaissance renaissance
die Rendite yield, return (of a capital investment)
rennen to run; to race; to sprint (said of competing sportsmen, animals etc.)
das Rennen race (a contest where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective)
das Rennrad road bike
das Rennspiel racing game
renovieren to renovate, redecorate
renoviert renovated, redecorated
die Renovierung renovation
renovierungsbedürftig in need of renovation
die Rente pension, retirement pay
die Rentenversicherung pension / annuity insurance
das / der Rentier reindeer
der Rentner pensioner (male or of unspecified gender)
die Reparatur repair, mending
reparieren to repair
das Repertoire repertoire
der Report report (all senses)
die Reportage feature report, in-depth report
der Reporter reporter (male or of unspecified gender)
die Reporterin reporter (female)
der Repräsentant representative, agent
die Repräsentation representation
repräsentativ representative (typical)
repräsentieren to represent (to stand in the place of)
das Reptil A reptile; the cold-blooded vertebrate
die Republik republic (type of state)
der Republikaner a republican
die Reputation reputation
die Reserve reserve (that which is reserved, or kept back, as for future use)
reservieren to reserve
reserviert reserved
die Reservierung reservation, booking
die Residenz residence, abode
die Resolution resolution
die Resonanz response, reaction, feedback (from the public or an audience)
das Resort resort
der Respekt respect, regard, reverence
respektieren to respect
respektive respectively
respektlos disrespectful
respektvoll respectful
die Ressource resource, reserve (means, material that one can use)
der Rest rest, remainder, remnant
das Restaurant restaurant
die Restaurierung restoration
restlos completely
der Restmüll non-recyclable waste
das Resultat result (that which results)
retten to save, to rescue
der Retter rescuer
die Rettung rescue
die Rettungsgasse emergency corridor between lanes
die Rettungskraft rescue worker
der Rettungsschwimmer lifeguard, rescue swimmer
der Rettungswagen ambulance
der Return return of serve
returnieren to return the serve
retuschieren to retouch
die Reue repentance; remorse, regret
die Revanche rematch
das Revier defined area; district
das Review review (systematic survey of the existing literature)
die Revision revision, change
die Revolte revolt
die Revolution revolution
revolutionär revolutionary
der Revolver revolver
die Revue revue
die Rezension critique, review (of a work of art)
das Rezept recipe
rezeptfrei over-the-counter, without prescription
die Rezeption reception (desk of a hotel or office where guests are received)
rezeptpflichtig that requires a doctor's prescription
die Rezession recession
die Rhetorik rhetoric
rhythmisch rhythmic (pertaining to rhythm)
der Rhythmus rhythm (variation of strong and weak emphasis over time, e.g. in music or speech)
richten to direct, to point
der Richter judge
die Richterin female judge
richtig correct, accurate, right
die Richtigkeit correctness
die Richtlinie directive
die Richtung direction
riechen to smell (something); to sniff (something)
das Ried reed
der Riemen strap (long, narrow, pliable strip of leather, cloth, or the like)
der Riese giant
das Riesenrad Ferris wheel, big wheel
riesig gigantic, huge
das Rind cow, bull, ox, head of cattle (any bovine animal)
das Rindfleisch beef
der Ring a ring (a circular and hollow object, made of any material.)
ringen to wrestle
der Ringer wrestler
rings around
rinnen to flow
die Rippe rib
das Risiko risk
riskant risky
riskieren to risk
der Riss fissure, crack
der Ritter knight
das Ritual ritual
das Ritzel sprocket, cog
ritzen to scratch
die Rivalität rivalry (competition)
robben to creep, to crawl; to move on ground level, lying flatly on the stomach with the help of one's forearms or elbows
der Roboter robot
die Robotik robotics
robust robust, rugged
der Rock skirt (garment)
der Rocker biker (member of a motorcycle club or gang)
die Rockmusik rock music
der Roggen rye
roh raw (uncooked)
das Rohr duct, pipe, tube
die Röhre tube, duct, pipe
röhren to roar (to make a loud deep noise)
der Rohstoff resource
der Rollator rollator, wheeled walker
die Rolle role, part
rollen to roll
das Rollen scroll lock
das Rollenspiel roleplaying game (type of game in which the players assume the role of a character)
der Roller scooter
das Rollo roller blind
der Rollstuhl wheelchair
die Rolltreppe escalator
die Rollwende flip turn, tumble turn
der Rom Rom (member of the Roma people), Romani
der Roman novel
romanisch Romance
die Romantik romanticism
der Romantiker romantic, romanticist
romantisch romantic
der Römer Roman
römisch Roman
röntgen to X-ray
das Röntgenbild X-ray image
das Rosa pink (color)
die Rose rose
das Ross horse
rösten to roast, to toast
rostfrei stainless, rust-free
rostig rusty
das Rot red (the colour)
die Rotation rotation
Rote Karte red card (sending-off)
rotieren to rotate, to spin
rotten To rot, to decay
der Rotwein red wine (red-coloured wine made mostly from black grapes, including the skin)
die Route route
der Router router (a device that connects local area networks to form a larger internet)
die Routine routine
der Rover rover (small manned or unmanned land vehicle for exploring extraterrestrial bodies)
royal royal
die Rübe turnip (and, as a cover term, other root vegetables)
der Rubel ruble, rouble (currency)
rüber over here
der Rubin ruby (gem)
die Rubrik column (of newspaper)
der Ruck jerk, jolt
der Rückblick review, retrospective
ruckeln to stutter, to run choppily
der Rücken back
die Rückendeckung backing, support
der Rückenschmerz back pain
das Rückenschwimmen backstroke
die Rückfahrt return journey
der Rückflug return flight
die Rückführung repatriation
die Rückgabe refund, return, restitution
der Rückgang decline, diminution
rückgängig undone, reversed, cancelled (in rückgängig machen)
das Rückgrat backbone, spine
der Rückhalt backing, support
die Rückhand backhand
die Rückkehr return
das Rücklicht rear light
die Rückmeldung response, reply
die Rückreise return trip, return journey, trip back
der Rückruf callback, return call
der Rucksack backpack
der Rückschlag setback (sudden or unexpected turn for the worse)
der Rückschnitt pruning, cutting back
die Rückseite back, reverse side
die Rücksicht consideration (the tendency to consider others)
rücksichtslos inconsiderate (reckless)
der Rückspiegel rearview mirror
das Rückspiel second leg
Rücksprache halten to consult, to check with someone
der Rückstand backlog
der Rücktritt resignation, demission (from an office)
die Rücktrittbremse coaster brake (back-pedal brake)
rückwärtig rear, back
rückwärts backwards
der Rückweg way back
der Rückzieher backtrack
der Rückzug retreat
das Rudel pack (of wolves, dogs, hyenas etc.)
das Ruder oar
das Rudergerät rowing machine
der Ruf reputation
rufen to call out, to shout, to cry (of a person or animal)
die Rufnummer telephone number
das Rugby rugby, rugby football
rügen to reprimand, to criticize (to convey one's disapproval of someone due to their behavior, often formally but without further consequences)
die Ruhe calm, relative quietness (absence of loud sounds)
ruhen to rest; to sleep
der Ruhestand retirement
der Ruhetag closing day (day the business rests)
die Ruhezeit quiet hours (when mowing is not allowed)
ruhig quiet
der Ruhm fame, glory
die Ruhr dysentery
das Rührei scrambled eggs
rühren to stir, to mix (a liquid or powder as in cooking)
der Ruin ruin (something which leads to serious troubles)
die Ruine ruin, ruins
ruinieren to ruin (to destroy or make dysfunctional, e.g. of health, relationships or financially)
der Rum rum
der Rumäne Romanian (native of Romania)
rumlaufen to walk around
der Rummel bustle, fuss
der Rumpf trunk; torso (body excluding the head and limbs)
der Run A rush or stampede of people, as caused by scarcity
rund round, rounded
die Runde round (circular or repetitious route)
runden to round (approximate a number)
rundenbasiert turn-based
die Rundfahrt tour
der Rundfunk broadcasting (The business or profession of radio and television.)
der Rundfunkbeitrag broadcasting licence fee (per household)
der Rundgang walk, tour
rundum all around
runter down, down here, downstairs (towards the speaker)
runterladen to download
der Ruß soot
der Russe Russian (person)
rußen to produce soot, to smoke (of a candle, lamp or engine)
das Russisch Russian; the Russian language
die Rüstung suit of armour
rutschen to slip, to slide
rutschig slippery
rütteln to shake, to jolt