Abbreviations in German: Comprehensive List of 110 Abkürzungen You Can Use Anytime

In the world we live in today, it’s sometimes inevitable to save some space here and there: whether we are talking about a social media post, a formal written German letter, or you’re just scribbling something with pen and paper, you need to shorten your text.

That’s where abbreviations in German come into the field. Easy German shares 14 of the most important German abbreviations, according to them:

But in this blog post, we’re taking a look at more than 100 abbreviations in German – and all of this with examples. Come join us!

1. What are abbreviations in German?

German abbreviations appear in informal chats, sometimes even in business contracts, academic texts and everyday German conversations.

Let’s say you’re writing an SMS (if you still do that) or a social media post and you run into something like LG – this actually stands for (Liebe Grüße – best regards). In a more professional setting abbreviations like GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) is used also – it’s something similar to an “LLC” in English.

Using these abbreviations in German won’t only help you save space and time but also make you sound and look like a native speaker. And now, time to explore them based on different categories.

2. The most common German abbreviations

In the next table, you’ll find the most common German abbreviations. It’s 100% sicher that you’ll encounter these shortened forms.

After listing them, let’s take a look at how they might look like in a written German form:

Anna: Guten Morgen, Hans! Hast du die Aufgabe für die Mathe-Klasse gemacht? (Anna: Good morning, Hans! Did you do the assignment for the math class?)
Hans: Ja, ich habe alles gemacht. Ich habe aber einige Fragen, wie man z.B. die Gleichung löst. (Hans: Yes, I did everything. But I have some questions, for example, how to solve the equation.)
Anna: Oh, das ist einfach. Du musst nur die Formel verwenden, die wir d.h. letzte Woche gelernt haben. (Anna: Oh, that’s easy. You just have to use the formula that is, we learned last week.)
Hans: Danke, Anna! Ich werde es nochmal versuchen. Und wie läuft’s bei dir mit der Biologie-Aufgabe? (Hans: Thanks, Anna! I’ll try it again. And how are you doing with the biology assignment?)

3. Learn German abbreviations for financial and economical terms

Maybe you’re already looking for a job in any of the German-speaking countries?! Learn these economical terms, so you won’t be surprised.

4. Abbreviations and acronyms for scientific terms

Chasing a scientific career? It’s always good to be able to describe the things you need in your lab or office.

5. Abbreviations in German and their meanings for medical terms

God forbid you get into a situation where you need to know the meaning of the ICU but still… better be safe!

6. Public transportation abbreviated in German

Public transportation is still considered pretty good in Germany and in other European countries. Here’s a table containing some abbreviations in German for these vehicles and transportation methods.

Let’s see how this would work in a real-life scenario (you can find time-related abbreviations here, too):

Anna: Hi Hans, hast du gestern den neuen Fahrplan für den ÖPNV gesehen? (Anna: Hi Hans, did you see the new schedule for public transportation yesterday?)
Hans: Ja, ich habe es gelesen. Die nächste Busfahrt ist um 8:00 Uhr und dauert ca. 30 Min. (Hans: Yes, I read it. The next bus ride is at 8:00 AM and lasts approximately 30 minutes.)
Anna: Gut zu wissen! Übrigens, erinnerst du dich, dass unser Treffen am Do. um 14:00 Uhr ist? (Anna: Good to know! By the way, do you remember that our meeting is on Thursday at 2:00 PM?)

7. German educational abbreviations

School in Germany is a huge deal, and education is your best chance to progress in your life. No matter which part of the country you visit, you have to know these abbreviations in German if you want to talk about education in German.

8. German language legal terms

Legal terms in German are also part of our lives. Sometimes, it’s part of the not-so-happy events but still, good to know these too!

9. German culture shortened

And a more happy topic: German culture and German entertainment. Don’t be surprised if you see international words here because a lot of these are borrowed from other languages – mainly English.

10. Social media and internet slang

This is just a sneak peek of all the German slang you have to know. If you want to learn more, check out our dedicated article.

Or read our Lingopie review and try Lingopie – there, you’ll immerse yourself in the language what natives speakers use, and you’ll see for yourself how German is full of slang phrases and terms.

11. German acronyms and abbreviations for government and institutions

On a more serious note, here are some important abbreviations you should learn about German and European governments, institutions and political parties.

12. Time-related abbreviations in German

Tell time in German with these shortened word forms!

13. German text abbreviations

Writing a message?

Save space with the following examples in this table:

14. Famous German brands and products

You’re most certainly already familiar with these German brands and products. But did you know their full meaning?

Time to check out!

How would this one sound like in a dialogue:

Anna: Hallo Hans, hast du schon das neue Auto von BMW gesehen? (Anna: Hi Hans, have you seen the new car from BMW yet?)
Hans: Ja, es sieht großartig aus! Ich habe auch gehört, dass VW ein neues Elektroauto im nächsten Jahr herausbringen wird. (Hans: Yes, it looks great! I also heard that VW will be releasing a new electric car next year.)
Anna: Das klingt spannend! Übrigens, hast du die neue App von SAP ausprobiert? (Anna: That sounds exciting! By the way, have you tried the new app from SAP?)

15. Practice German abbreviations in context with our Practice Worksheets

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate German abbreviations.

You just went through half of the exercise. If you’re curious about the rest, sign up now!

16. Learn more German with Conversation Based Chunking

If you want to truly look like and sound like a native German speaker, you shouldn’t only use these abbreviations but you should also look out for other important things.

Like lexical chunks.

What are they?

They are the most common parts of the language that native speakers use all the time without much grammar. Because native speakers don’t even really think about German grammar, right?! If you want a method that will teach you the language just like this, sign up now and get your first German Conversation Based Chunking Guide!