zu

German, preposition/t͡suː/

zu is spelled Z-U (2 letters) and appears 10,233 times per million words in written German, the 8th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Zu is a German preposition meaning “to, towards (indicates directionality)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “in Richtung auf”.

What does zu mean in English?

preposition

1
to, towards (indicates directionality)
zum Bahnhof
2
with respect to; regarding
Zu Punkt 1 möchte ich bemerken, dass...
3
along with; with (accompanying (the main thing in question))
Wasser zum Essen trinken
4
at, on (indicates location)
zu Hause
5
at (indicates time)
zur richtigen Zeit
6
by, in, on, at (indicates mode (of transportation, speech, etc.))
zu Pferde
7
for; (with a noun) as, by way of (for the purpose of)
8
for (in honor of, or directed towards the celebration or event of)

particle

1
to
etwas zu essen
2
in a group of (a certain head count)
zu zweit

adverb

1
too (excessively)
zu schnell
2
slangAn intensifier.
Dieses Essen ist zu lecker!
3
towards; at
4
informalshut; closed; locked
5
ahead, on (along, forwards (continuing an action))
6
colloquialAs a separated part of dazu or wozu
"Wann willst du denn los?" "Um 10? Nur wenn du da Lust zu hast."

adjective

1
informalshut, closed (made inaccessible or impassable; not open)
Das Geschäft war zu.
2
closed (not operating or conducting trade)
3
done up (fastened)
4
slanghammered; very drunk

prefix

as zu-

1
Prefix meaning to, to-, at, on, by
2
obsoleteobsolete form of zer-

infix

as -zu-

1
zu; marks the zu-infinitive of separable verbs in verb-final contexts.

Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How German dictionaries define it

preposition: 1. in Richtung auf 2. in Bezug auf 3. zu der Zeit als, zu der Zeit innerhalb eines Zeitraumes 4. Namenszusatz

adverb: 1. hin

adverb: 1. geschlossen 2. nicht mehr aufnahmefähig, auch unter übermäßigem Drogen- oder Alkoholeinfluss

particle: 1. drückt vor einem Adjektiv aus, dass sein Grad höher ist als gewünscht

particle: 1. mit um, ohne, anstatt werden adverbiale Bestimmungen gebildet

adjective: 1. geschlossen

prefix: 1. in Zusammensetzungen anzeigen einer Veränderung 2. in Zusammensetzungen anzeigen eines Hinzufügens 3. in Zusammensetzungen anzeigen einer Zugehörigkeit 4. in Zusammensetzungen anzeigen einer Bewegung in Richtung von etwas oder jemandem

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 zu

wozu error-unrecognized-form
dazu error-unrecognized-form
hierzu error-unrecognized-form
zů alternative obsolete
zuer positive nominative strong
zue positive nominative strong
zues positive nominative strong
zuen positive genitive strong
zuem positive dative strong

Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

How do you pronounce zu?

standard /t͡suː/
/t͡sə/
[t͡suː]

Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.

English words that translate to zu

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.

How common is zu in German?

zu appears 10,233 times per million words in written German.

zu0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Germanmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).