jäh
German, adjective/jɛː/
jäh is spelled J-Ä-H (3 letters) and appears 1.0 times per million words in written German, the 39,278th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Jäh is a German adjective meaning “abrupt, sudden” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “unerwartet, abrupt und heftig sich entwickelnd”.
What does jäh mean in English?
adjective
- 1
abrupt, sudden
Ein jäh hereinbrechendes Unwetter behinderte die Invasion der Gegner.
- 2
steep, sheer
Der Berg hat an seiner nördlichen Flanke einen jähen Abhang.
- 3
precipitous, hasty
Fälle keine jähen Urteile über deine Mitmenschen.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. unerwartet, abrupt und heftig sich entwickelnd 2. steil in die Tiefe abfallend 3. steil in die Höhe aufragend 4. unbesonnen, unbedacht
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of jäh
- jäher masculine nominative singular
- am jähsten superlative
- am jähesten superlative
- jähe feminine nominative singular
- jähes neuter nominative singular
- jähen genitive masculine singular
- jähem dative masculine singular
- der jähe definite includes-article masculine
- die jähe definite feminine includes-article
- das jähe definite includes-article neuter
- die jähen definite includes-article nominative
- des jähen definite genitive includes-article
- der jähen definite feminine genitive
- dem jähen dative definite includes-article
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce jäh?
- standard /jɛː/
- Germany /jeː/
- [jɛː]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to jäh
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is jäh in German?
jäh appears 1.0 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).