So, you’re trying to figure out how do you say son in German. If you look it up in a standard dictionary, you’ll get one word: Sohn. That’s it. End of story, right? Not really.
Language is messy.
Honestly, if you just walk around Berlin or Munich dropping "Sohn" into every conversation, you’re going to sound like a textbook from 1954. Germans use different words depending on whether they are talking to a toddler, bragging about their teenager, or complaining about their "boys" at the pub. It’s about the vibe. The word Sohn is technically correct, but the soul of the language lives in the nuances.
The Basic Answer: Der Sohn
The most direct way to translate "son" is der Sohn. It’s a masculine noun, which is why it takes the "der" article. The plural is Söhne.
If you’re filling out a government form at the Bürgeramt or writing a formal letter, this is the word you use. It’s clinical. It’s precise. But in the real world, people have a weird relationship with such a formal term. It’s like calling your father "Father" instead of "Dad." It works, but it’s a bit stiff, isn't it?
Pronunciation matters here. You don’t want to say it like the English word "sewn." The German "o" is long and closed. Think of the "o" in "go," but hold your lips in a tighter circle. The "h" is silent; it just serves to lengthen that vowel. If you mess it up, people will still understand you, but you'll definitely have that "I just started Duolingo yesterday" energy.
When the "Sohn" becomes "Söhnchen"
Germans love diminutives. They take a perfectly good word and add "-chen" to the end to make it smaller, cuter, or sometimes, condescending.
Söhnchen is what you’d call a little boy. Or, if you’re being a bit of a jerk, it’s what you call a grown man who is a bit too attached to his mother (Muttersöhnchen). We call that a "mamas boy" in English. It’s a fascinating linguistic quirk where a term of endearment becomes a sharp social critique just by adding a prefix.
Beyond the Dictionary: How Germans Actually Talk
If you’re sitting in a café in Prenzlauer Berg, you aren't going to hear many parents shouting, "Mein Sohn, komm her!" They’re more likely to use Junge.
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Technically, Junge means "boy." But in many contexts, it’s the functional equivalent of "son."
"Mein Junge ist jetzt in der Schule." (My boy/son is in school now.)
It feels warmer. It’s less about the genealogical record and more about the person. Then you have the regional stuff. If you head south toward Bavaria or over the border into Austria, "Sohn" might disappear entirely in favor of Bub or Bua.
If a Bavarian father is proud of his kid, he might say, "Des is mei Bua." It sounds nothing like the high German you learn in school. It’s earthy. It’s local. Using these terms correctly is the fastest way to stop being treated like a tourist and start being treated like a neighbor.
Why Grammar Makes "Son" Complicated
Let's talk about the Dative and Accusative cases. I know, everyone hates German grammar. But if you want to know how do you say son in German correctly, you have to deal with the endings.
Because Sohn is masculine, it changes based on what it's doing in the sentence.
If you are giving something to your son, he becomes meinem Sohn (Dative). If you are seeing your son across the street, he is meinen Sohn (Accusative).
- Nominative: Mein Sohn ist groß. (My son is tall.)
- Accusative: Ich liebe meinen Sohn. (I love my son.)
- Dative: Ich gebe meinem Sohn ein Geschenk. (I give my son a gift.)
- Genitive: Das Auto meines Sohnes. (My son's car.)
That Genitive case is dying out in casual speech, though. Most Germans would just say "Das Auto von meinem Sohn," which drives grammar teachers crazy but makes your life much easier. Honestly, just use "von" and the Dative if you’re hanging out at a bar. No one is going to check your Genitive credentials over a pilsner.
Step-Sons and In-Laws
Family dynamics aren't always a straight line. The prefix Stief- works just like "step-" in English. So, Stiefsohn. Simple.
In-laws are where it gets interesting. A son-in-law is a Schwiegersohn. The word "Schwieger" comes from an old Germanic root related to "difficult" or "heavy" (not really, but it's a funny way to remember it given the stereotype of in-laws).
Actually, the word Schwieger is related to the Latin socer, meaning father-in-law. It’s one of those ancient words that has survived for thousands of years relatively unchanged.
The Cultural Weight of the "Stammhalter"
There’s a specific word that you won’t find in a basic "how-to" guide but is deeply rooted in German history: Stammhalter.
It literally translates to "lineage holder."
It’s an old-fashioned, somewhat patriarchal term for the son who carries on the family name. You don’t hear it much in modern cities, but in rural areas or in very traditional families, it still carries weight. If someone calls their son their Stammhalter, they aren't just saying "this is my male offspring." They are saying "this is the one who keeps the family history alive." It’s heavy stuff.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest pitfall for English speakers is the word Kind.
Sometimes people say "Mein Kind" when they mean "My son." While a son is obviously a child, if you know the gender, German usually demands that you use it. Using Kind for a 25-year-old man feels a bit infantilizing unless you’re specifically emphasizing the parent-child relationship in a sentimental way.
Also, watch out for "Sonne."
It sounds almost exactly like "Sohn" to the untrained ear. But Sonne is feminine (die Sonne) and it means "the sun."
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"Mein Sohn" = My male child.
"Meine Sonne" = My sun.
If you tell someone "Meine Sonne ist in Berlin," they’ll think you’re being poetic or perhaps that you’ve had a bit too much Riesling. Context usually saves you, but the vowel length is the key. Sohn has that long, closed "o," while Sonne has a short, open "o" (like the "o" in "pot").
Practical Tips for Learners
If you're trying to integrate this into your vocabulary, start by listening to how native speakers describe their families. You'll notice they rarely use "Sohn" in isolation. It's almost always "mein Sohn" or "unser Sohn."
- Use Sohn for formal introductions or when specifying gender is important.
- Use Junge for casual, affectionate mentions of a younger son.
- Use Söhnchen only for small children or if you're being playfully ironic.
- Don't stress the Genitive case; "von meinem Sohn" is your best friend.
Learning a language isn't about memorizing a list of nouns. It's about understanding the social hierarchy and the emotional temperature of a room. "Sohn" is a biological fact. "Mein Junge" is a relationship.
When you're practicing, try to build sentences that force you to change the article. Say "I'm going to the park with my son" (mit meinem Sohn—Dative) and then "I am calling my son" (ich rufe meinen Sohn an—Accusative). This builds the muscle memory you need so you don't have to pause for three seconds every time you want to talk about your kid.
German is a language of precision, but it's also a language of heart. Once you get past the "der/die/das" of it all, you'll find that describing family is one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
Next time you’re chatting with a German friend, try using "mein Junge" instead of the robotic "mein Sohn." You'll see their eyes light up a bit—it's the difference between speaking a language and actually living in it.
To really master this, your next move should be looking into the Dative case rules for masculine nouns. It’s the "boss level" of using Sohn correctly in a sentence. Once you nail the "m" ending in meinem, you’ve basically conquered the hardest part of basic German family talk. Keep your ears open for regional slang like Bub if you're traveling south, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Germans would much rather hear a slightly ungrammatical "mein Sohn" than no German at all.