graffiti
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graffiti
A drawing, inscription, or image that is usually sprayed, painted, or scratched onto a public surface such as a wall, train, or building wall without permission. The plural is 'die Graffiti' (graffiti).
An der alten Fabrikmauer war ein beeindruckendes Graffiti zu sehen.
An impressive piece of graffiti could be seen on the old factory wall.
The word 'Graffiti' is special in German. 'Das Graffiti' refers to a single artwork, while 'die Graffiti' (plural) refers to several works or to the art form in general.
An der Wand ist ein neues Graffiti.
There is a new piece of graffiti on the wall.
'Graffiti' is a loanword from Italian. In Italian, 'graffito' is the singular and 'graffiti' is the plural. In German, however, 'das Graffiti' has become established as the common singular form.
In Berlin kann man an vielen Ecken legale Graffiti bewundern.
In Berlin, you can admire legal graffiti on many corners.
Certain verbs are often used in connection with graffiti. These include 'ein Graffiti sprühen' (to spray graffiti) or 'malen' (to paint), when it is created, and 'ein Graffiti entfernen' (to remove graffiti) or 'übermalen' (to paint over), when it is removed.
Unbekannte haben in der Nacht ein Graffiti an die Schulwand gesprüht.
Unknown people sprayed graffiti on the school wall during the night.
lettering / handwriting
'das Graffiti' and 'der Schriftzug' can both consist of letters and be designed in an eye-catching way. However, 'Graffiti' usually means something sprayed or painted onto a public surface such as a wall, building wall, or train, often without permission. 'Schriftzug' is more general and more neutral: it refers to designed lettering, for example in a logo, a sign, or a brand. The words can be confused when a piece of graffiti consists only of words. Then it is also a 'Schriftzug', but not every 'Schriftzug' is 'Graffiti'.
An der alten Mauer neben dem Bahnhof ist ein buntes Graffiti zu sehen.
A colorful piece of graffiti can be seen on the old wall next to the train station.
Der rote Schriftzug auf dem Schild ist schon von weitem gut lesbar.
The red lettering on the sign is easy to read even from far away.