scar / stigma
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scar
A visible mark on the skin that remains after a wound, injury, or operation has healed.
Vom Fahrradunfall in seiner Kindheit hat er noch eine kleine Narbe am Knie.
He still has a small scar on his knee from a bicycle accident in his childhood.
The meaning of 'Narbe' becomes clear from context. If it is about the body, it means a skin scar. Adjectives such as 'seelisch' (psychological/emotional) or 'emotional' point to the figurative meaning. The botanical technical term appears only in the context of plants and biology.
Er hat eine kleine Narbe über dem Auge.
He has a small scar above his eye.
In connection with skin injuries, 'Narbe' is often used with the verbs 'hinterlassen' (to leave behind) or 'zurückbleiben' (to remain). Typical adjectives are 'sichtbar' (visible), 'tief' (deep), or 'klein' (small).
Die Operation hat eine kaum sichtbare Narbe hinterlassen.
The operation left a barely visible scar.
To indicate the cause of a scar, the preposition 'von' (+ dative) is often used.
Das ist eine alte Narbe von einem Sturz mit dem Fahrrad.
That's an old scar from a fall on a bicycle.
In the figurative meaning, 'Narbe' is almost always accompanied by an adjective that emphasizes the emotional or psychological character. Typical phrases are 'seelische Narben' (emotional/psychological scars) or 'emotionale Narben' (emotional scars).
Die Trennung hat bei ihr tiefe emotionale Narben hinterlassen.
The breakup left deep emotional scars on her.
The botanical meaning of 'Narbe' is a technical term. You find it almost exclusively in biological or gardening texts about plants and flowers.
Für die Bestäubung muss der Pollen auf die Narbe der Blüte gelangen.
For pollination, the pollen must reach the stigma of the flower.
injury / violation
'Verletzung' and 'Narbe' are often connected, but they are not the same thing. A 'Verletzung' is the damage itself, for example a wound on the body. A 'Narbe' is left behind on the skin later, once the wound has healed. There is also a difference in the figurative sense: a hurt to someone's feelings happens because of an offense, while a scar is more like the lasting memory of it. Learners may confuse the words because a scar can develop from an injury. Put simply: the injury happens first; the scar remains afterward.
An meinem Knie sieht man noch eine Narbe von der alten Operation.
You can still see a scar on my knee from the old operation.
Bei der Gartenarbeit bekam Paul eine kleine Verletzung an der Hand.
While gardening, Paul got a small injury on his hand.