01
die Nichte
niece
The daughter of one's brother or sister.
example
Meine Nichte hat gerade ihr Abitur mit Bestnote bestanden.
My niece has just passed her Abitur with top marks.
die Nichte
niece
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
'Die Nichte' (niece) belongs to a pair of kinship terms. It is the female term for the child of a sibling. The male counterpart is 'der Neffe' (nephew), the son of one's brother or sister.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe einen Neffen und eine Nichte von meiner Schwester.
I have a nephew and a niece from my sister.
Usage pattern
To explain the family relationship, you often use the preposition 'von' (of / from). You can say: 'Anna ist die Nichte von Thomas' (Anna is Thomas's niece) or describe the relationship more precisely: 'Sie ist die Tochter von meinem Bruder' (She is the daughter of my brother).
EXAMPLE
Das ist Maria, die Tochter von meiner Schwester.
This is Maria, my sister's daughter.
Perspective
The word 'Nichte' (niece) is a relational term. You always use it from the perspective of the aunt or uncle to talk about the daughter of one's own brother or sister.
EXAMPLE
Als Onkel kaufe ich meiner Nichte gerne Geschenke.
As an uncle, I like buying gifts for my niece.
Compare with
Nichte vs Tante
aunt
'die Tante' and 'die Nichte' describe a family relationship from two different points of view. An aunt is the sister of a parent or the wife of an uncle. A niece is the daughter of one's own brother or sister. The words can be confusing because the same two people may be meant: for the woman, the girl is her niece; for the girl, the woman is her aunt.
Nichte
Am Wochenende besucht Lena ihre kleine Nichte im Krankenhaus.
At the weekend, Lena visits her little niece in the hospital.
Tante
Nach der Schule wartet meine Tante vor dem Eingang auf mich.
After school, my aunt waits for me in front of the entrance.
In real life
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