nein
German, interjection
nein is spelled N-E-I-N (4 letters) and appears 331 times per million words in written German, the 279th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Nein is a German interjection meaning “no” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Nein is a different word: “a no”. On this page, 'nein is a different word: “clipping of hinein”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “Ausruf des Entsetzens, Erstaunens, Schrecks”.
What does nein mean in English?
interjection
- 1
no
Hast du morgen Abend Zeit? – Nein, leider nicht.
noun
- 1
neutera no
adverb
- 1
clipping of hinein
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
particle: 1. Partikel, die Ablehnung, Verneinung, Negation, Widerspruch bekundet, gewöhnlich auf eine Frage 2. quasi anzweifelnd, damit aber bekräftigend 3. quasi anzweifelnd, damit aber steigernd 4. zur losen Anreihung an eine Aussage
interjection: 1. Ausruf des Entsetzens, Erstaunens, Schrecks
adverb: 1. hinein, hinein-
noun: 1. eine negative Antwort, eine endgültige Ablehnung
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 nein
- ne alternative colloquial regional
- nee alternative colloquial regional
- nö alternative colloquial regional
- noi alternative colloquial regional
- nä alternative colloquial regional
- na alternative colloquial regional
- naa alternative colloquial regional
- Neines genitive
- Neins genitive
- Neine plural
- Neinen dative definite plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to nein
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is nein in German?
nein appears 331 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).