der Nord
north
The cardinal direction that on a compass corresponds to Earth's magnetic North Pole and is opposite the direction south.
EXAMPLE
Der Wind kommt heute aus Nord.
The wind is coming from the north today.
der Nord
north
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
der Nord
north
The northern part of a country, region, or city.
EXAMPLE
Im Nord des Landes ist es deutlich kälter als im Süden.
In the north of the country, it is significantly colder than in the south.
Usage tips
Word structure
'Nord' (north) is a base word for many compounds that refer to the cardinal direction. Examples are 'Nordsee' (North Sea), 'Nordpol' (North Pole), 'Norddeutschland' (northern Germany), or 'nordisch' (Nordic).
EXAMPLE
Wir machen Urlaub in Norddeutschland an der Küste.
We are going on vacation in northern Germany on the coast.
Correct preposition
Certain prepositions are used when specifying directions. You say 'der Wind kommt aus Nord' (the wind comes from the north, origin) and 'wir fahren nach Nord' (we are traveling north, destination). The article is often omitted here.
EXAMPLE
Die Vögel fliegen im Herbst nach Süden und im Frühling wieder nach Nord.
The birds fly south in autumn and north again in spring.
Regional location
To describe the northern part of an area, you use the preposition 'in' with the dative. The form 'im Norden' (in the north) is often preferred.
EXAMPLE
Im Nord des Landes gibt es viele Seen und Wälder.
In the north of the country, there are many lakes and forests.
Compare with
Nord vs Norden
north
Both words can refer to the northern direction or a northern part. In present-day standard German, Norden is usually the usual standalone noun for this. Nord occurs only in certain technical or regional uses and sounds marked in those contexts.
Nord
Im regionalen Wetterbericht wird der Nord als Bezeichnung für den nördlichen Stadtteil verwendet.
In the regional weather report, “Nord” is used to refer to the northern district.
Norden
Auf der Karte liegt der Norden oben.
North is at the top of the map.
In real life
Loading video examples...