01
das Holz
wood
The hard, fibrous material that the trunk and branches of trees and shrubs consist of and that is used as a building material or fuel.
example
Der Tisch ist aus massivem Holz gefertigt.
The table is made of solid wood.
das Holz
wood
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Compound words
'Holz' (wood) is a very productive base word for many compounds. Examples include 'Holzhaus' (wooden house/house made of wood), 'Brennholz' (firewood/wood for burning), or 'Holzfigur' (wooden figure/figure made of wood).
EXAMPLE
Im Winter heizen wir unseren Ofen mit Brennholz.
In winter, we heat our stove with firewood.
Use with 'aus'
To describe the material an object is made of, 'Holz' (wood) is very often used with the preposition 'aus' (made of/from). The structure is: 'etwas ist aus Holz' (something is made of wood).
EXAMPLE
Meine neue Brille ist aus Holz.
My new glasses are made of wood.
Fixed expression
The expression 'auf Holz klopfen' (to knock on wood) is used to express that you hope something good will stay that way or that no bad luck will happen. Often, people actually knock three times on a wooden surface when saying it.
EXAMPLE
Ich war noch nie ernsthaft krank. Schnell auf Holz klopfen!
I’ve never been seriously ill. Quick, knock on wood!
Context clue: music
If you hear 'Holz' (wood) in the context of classical music or an orchestra, it refers to the woodwind instruments (e.g. flute, clarinet, oboe).
EXAMPLE
In diesem Satz des Konzerts hat das Holz eine wunderschöne Melodie.
In this movement of the concerto, the woodwinds have a beautiful melody.
Register and style
The meaning 'Wäldchen' (small wood/grove) is rather rare today and often sounds poetic or somewhat old-fashioned. It can sometimes still be found in regional dialects or in literary texts.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder spielten den ganzen Tag im Holz hinter dem Bauernhof.
The children played all day in the wood behind the farm.
Compare with
Holz vs Wald
forest
'der Wald' and 'das Holz' are both connected with trees, but they do not mean the same thing. 'Wald' is the place or area with many trees. 'Holz' is the material from a tree, for example for furniture, houses, or fire. You can confuse the words because wood can come from the forest. But naturally, you say: you go into the forest, and a table is made of wood.
Holz
Für den Ofen brauchen wir trockenes Holz.
We need dry wood for the stove.
Wald
Am Sonntag machen wir einen langen Spaziergang durch den Wald.
On Sunday, we're going for a long walk through the forest.
In real life
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