braun
brown
Having the color of earth, wood, or chocolate.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund hat weiches, braunes Fell.
The dog has soft, brown fur.
braun
brown
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Meanings
braun
tan
Tanned by the sun; having acquired a darker skin color through exposure to sunlight.
EXAMPLE
Nach zwei Wochen am Strand war sie richtig braun.
After two weeks at the beach, she was really tan.
braun
Nazi / far-right
In a political context, a derogatory term for National Socialist or far-right.
EXAMPLE
Die Demonstration richtete sich gegen das Aufkommen brauner Ideologien.
The demonstration was directed against the rise of far-right ideologies.
braun
brown
In cooking or baking: having taken on a brownish color through heat.
EXAMPLE
Braten Sie die Zwiebeln an, bis sie goldig braun sind.
Sauté the onions until they are golden brown.
Usage tips
Context clues
The meaning of 'braun' (brown) depends heavily on the context. If you are talking about objects, it refers to the color (m01). If you are talking about skin, someone is suntanned (m02). In a political context, it is a negative label (m03), and in cooking it describes the degree of cooking or browning (m04).
EXAMPLE
Er hat braune Augen.
He has brown eyes.
Cultural context
The political meaning of 'braun' (brown) for far-right or National Socialist comes from the brown uniform shirts of the SA (Sturmabteilung) in the Third Reich. This color became a symbol of the movement.
EXAMPLE
Historiker warnen vor dem Wiederaufleben von braunem Gedankengut.
Historians warn against the resurgence of far-right ideology.
Use with 'werden'
To describe the process of sunbathing, 'braun' (tan) is very frequently combined with the verb 'werden' (to become). The phrase 'braun werden' means 'to sunbathe and get a tan'.
EXAMPLE
Ich liege in der Sonne, weil ich ein bisschen braun werden möchte.
I'm lying in the sun because I want to get a little tan.
Typical collocation
In cooking and baking, 'braun' (brown) is often combined with 'gold-' to form 'goldbraun' (golden brown). This describes perfect, appetizing browning that is not too dark.
EXAMPLE
Backen Sie den Kuchen, bis er goldbraun ist.
Bake the cake until it is golden brown.
Word family
The verb 'bräunen' (to tan/brown; to make something brown or become brown) and the noun 'die Bräune' (the tan; the brown skin color from the sun) are derived from the adjective 'braun' (brown).
EXAMPLE
Sie bräunt sich am Strand.
She is tanning at the beach.
Compare with
braun vs bräunlich
brownish
„Braun“ refers to the color itself. „Bräunlich“, by contrast, means that something is not pure brown but merely has a noticeable brown component. „Braun“ is suitable for a clear brown, while „bräunlich“ is used for a mere tint.
braun
Der erste Stoff ist gleichmäßig braun.
The first fabric is evenly brown.
bräunlich
Der zweite Stoff ist grau mit einer bräunlichen Tönung.
The second fabric is gray with a brownish tint.
In real life
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