Hobbies in GermanFree Vocabulary List

Common Hobbies in German
Let's start with the words for the most popular hobbies first. Many people would mention travelling, cooking or listening to music when asked about their hobbies.
Here is a list of German words for different hobbies:
German | English |
---|---|
kochen | to cook |
fotografieren | to photograph |
reisen | to travel |
wandern | to hike |
laufen | to run |
klettern | to climb |
faulenzen | to laze about |
feiern gehen | to party |
Musik hören | to listen to music |
Sports
Let's have a look at the area of sports next: Many Germans enjoy doing sports as a past time activity. Popular sports here in Germany include football, handball, tennis, swimming, and cycling.
German | English |
---|---|
der Fußball | football |
das Tennis | tennis |
das Golf | golf |
das Skifahren | skiing |
das Schwimmen | swimming |
das Rugby | rugby |
das Schlittschuhlaufen | ice-skating |
das Tontaubenschießen | clay pigeon shooting |
das Badminton | badminton |
der Volleyball | volleyball |
In case you're interested in seeing a few more words for all different kinds of sports, check out our full article on German sports vocabulary.
Not included in the above list are fitness activities, such as running (laufen), hiking (wandern), and gym workouts (im Fitnessstudio trainieren), which are also very popular hobbies in Germany.
Arts & Crafts
German | English |
---|---|
stricken | to knit |
häkeln | to crochet |
nähen | to sew |
töpfern | to do pottery |
malen | to paint |
zeichnen | to draw |
basteln | to make (assemble) |
tanzen | to dance |
schauspielen | to act |
Collecting
German | English |
---|---|
das Briefmarkensammeln | stamp collecting |
das Schmetterlingssammeln | butterfly collecting |
Games
German | English |
---|---|
Billard spielen | to play billiards |
das Dart / das Darts | darts |
das Tischtennis | ping pong |
der Kicker | table football |
das Kartenspiel | cardgames |