das Hörnchen
crescent roll
A sweet or savory pastry in a curved, horn-shaped form.
EXAMPLE
Zum Frühstück esse ich gern ein Hörnchen mit Marmelade.
I like having a crescent roll with jam for breakfast.
das Hörnchen
crescent roll / squirrel / cone
das Hörnchen, die Hörnchen
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Meanings
das Hörnchen
squirrel
A rodent from the squirrel family, which includes animals such as squirrels and chipmunks. In everyday speech, it usually simply refers to a squirrel.
EXAMPLE
Ein Hörnchen kletterte schnell den Baum hinauf.
A squirrel quickly climbed up the tree.
das Hörnchen
small horn
A small horn, especially an animal's horn.
EXAMPLE
Das junge Tier hat bereits ein kleines Hörnchen.
The young animal already has a small horn.
das Hörnchen
ice cream cone
A cone-shaped wafer used to serve ice cream.
EXAMPLE
Ich nehme zwei Kugeln Eis im Hörnchen.
I'll have two scoops of ice cream in a cone.
das Hörnchen
elbow macaroni
A short, semicircular curved type of pasta, usually used in the plural.
EXAMPLE
Heute Mittag gibt es Hörnchen mit Tomatensoße.
We're having elbow macaroni with tomato sauce for lunch today.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Hörnchen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance (das)
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Hörnchen |
| genitive | des Hörnchens |
The four cases (das)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Hörnchen | die Hörnchen |
| accusative | das Hörnchen | die Hörnchen |
| dative | dem Hörnchen | den Hörnchen |
| genitive | des Hörnchens | der Hörnchen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
At a glance (das)
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Hörnchen |
| genitive | des Hörnchens |
The four cases (das)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Hörnchen | die Hörnchen |
| accusative | das Hörnchen | die Hörnchen |
| dative | dem Hörnchen | den Hörnchen |
| genitive | des Hörnchens | der Hörnchen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Hörnchen' is formed from 'Horn' (horn) with the suffix '-chen'. The suffix often indicates something small; in this case, the 'o' changes to 'ö' through umlaut.
EXAMPLE
Das Kind hielt das kleine Hörnchen vorsichtig in der Hand.
The child carefully held the small horn in their hand.
Animal name and signal words
As an animal name, 'Hörnchen' technically refers to an entire animal family, but in everyday speech it usually means 'Eichhörnchen' (squirrel). Signal words from nature such as 'Baum' (tree), 'klettern' (to climb), or 'Nüsse' (nuts) usually show that this meaning is intended.
EXAMPLE
Im Herbst sieht man im Park oft ein Hörnchen, das eine Nuss versteckt.
In autumn, you often see a squirrel in the park hiding a nut.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of a pastry, 'Hörnchen' often appears with words from the breakfast or bakery context, for example 'frisches Hörnchen' (fresh crescent roll), 'Hörnchen mit Marmelade' (crescent roll with jam), or 'Hörnchen kaufen' (to buy crescent rolls).
EXAMPLE
Auf dem Weg zur Arbeit kaufte ich zwei frische Hörnchen beim Bäcker.
On my way to work, I bought two fresh crescent rolls at the bakery.
In real life
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