German Emotions Vocabulary

Here are German words for emotions to start with: wütend (angry), glücklich (happy), traurig (sad), aufgeregt (excited). Below are 48 words (A1–B2) with their English translations and part of speech, across 6 themed lists.

A smiling baby peeking out from behind a wall
Photo: StockSnap

Emotions Basics

A1–B1
EnglishGermanTypeLevel
angrywütendadjA1
excitedaufgeregtadjA1
happyglücklichadjA1
sadtraurigadjA1
disappointedenttäuschtadjA2
happinessGlücknounA2
joyFreudenounA2
sadnessTraurigkeitnounB1

The rest of this pack is in the app

Emotions Intermediate

A1–B1
EnglishGermanTypeLevel
hungryhungrigadjA1
peaceFriedennounA1
tiredmüdeadjA1
boredgelangweiltadjA2
nervousnervösadjA2
angerWutnounB1
anxietyAngstnounB1
calmruhigadjB1

Emotions Advanced

A2–B2
EnglishGermanTypeLevel
prideStolznounA2
emotionEmotionnounB1
excitementAufregungnounB1
fondnessZuneigungnounB1
gratitudeDankbarkeitnounB1
irritateverärgernverbB1
contemptVerachtungnounB2
empathyEmpathienounB2

More from this pack waits in the app

Complex Emotions

B1–B2
EnglishGermanTypeLevel
admirationBewunderungnounB1
envyNeidnounB1
guiltSchuldgefühlnounB1
shameSchamnounB1
aweEhrfurchtnounB2
dreadFurchtnounB2
resentmentGrollnounB2
spiteBosheitnounB2

Positive Emotions

A1–B2
EnglishGermanTypeLevel
pleasureVergnügennounA1
confidenceSelbstvertrauennounB1
delightFreudenounB1
ecstasyEkstasenounB1
enthusiasmBegeisterungnounB1
warmthWärmenounB1
contentmentZufriedenheitnounB2
optimismOptimismusnounB2

Negative Emotions

B1–B2
EnglishGermanTypeLevel
annoyanceÄrgernounB1
despairVerzweiflungnounB1
rageWutnounB1
sorrowKummernounB1
terrorEntsetzennounB1
hopelessnessHoffnungslosigkeitnounB2
lonelinessEinsamkeitnounB2
rejectionAblehnungnounB2

Keep going with this pack in the app

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

A sample of the A1–B2 words. The rest are in the app

Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch

These lists show a sample of the A1–B2 words for emotions. The packs in Watch Your Language hold more and reach the advanced levels, along with every other topic.

The app shows them to you a few at a time, in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting.

Common questions

Which German words should I learn for emotions?

You could start with words like wütend (angry), glücklich (happy), traurig (sad), aufgeregt (excited). This page lists 48 German words for emotions (A1–B2), each with its English translation and part of speech.

How can I remember these German words?

Reading a list once is rarely enough. Watch Your Language shows German words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and schedules repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.

Are these word lists free?

Yes. The lists on this page are free to read, with no sign-up. The app holds more words for each topic.

More German word lists