The Signs of the Zodiac in German

The old pick-up line “What’s your sign?” probably doesn’t work any better in German (Welches Sternzeichen sind Sie?) than it does in English. That shouldn't stop you from learning to speak about the zodiac in German. 

After studying this lesson, you’ll know the German for the twelve signs of the zodiac as well as some basic horoscope vocabulary to help you in conversations. It's a rather short lesson and many of the words resemble their English counterparts, making them easier to commit to memory.

Signs of the Zodiac (das Tierkreiszeichen)

The German word for the astrological and astronomical zodiac, der Tierkreis (“animal circle”), tells you a lot. The German words for each "sign of the zodiac" (das Tierkreiszeichen) represent the animal or symbol of that sign.

While the English sign of the bull is called "Taurus," the German word is der Stier, the bull itself. English uses Latin-based words like "taurus" (bull), but German sticks with the Germanic words (Stier, related to "steer"). There are exceptions to this, however. In the cases of Aries, Cancer, and Capricorn, the literal translation from German to English is the actual sign, not the symbol that represents it. 

Remember, too, that the names of the signs are also the names of constellations (Sternbilder, literally "star picture") you can see in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. If you keep all this in mind, it will make learning the words much easier.

Nun, welches Sternzeichen bist du? (Well, what sign are you?)

German Zodiac Vocabulary

To get into deeper conversations about the zodiac, you will also need some German vocabulary beyond the signs. These are relatively easy to memorize because they often resemble their English translations.