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rothaarig
red-haired
The characteristic of having red or reddish hair.
example
Das rothaarige Mädchen spielte im Garten.
The red-haired girl was playing in the garden.
rothaarig
red-haired
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word composition
The adjective 'rothaarig' (red-haired) is made up of the words 'rot' (red) and 'Haar' (hair), plus the ending '-ig'. It literally means that someone has red hair.
EXAMPLE
In Irland sieht man viele rothaarige Menschen.
In Ireland, you see many red-haired people.
Usage pattern
'Rothaarig' (red-haired) can stand directly with a person as a characteristic (predicative), or it can describe a noun (attributive). Both uses are very common.
EXAMPLE
Ihre Schwester ist auch rothaarig.
Her sister is also red-haired.
Nominalization
The adjective can also be used as a noun to refer to a person. In that case, people say 'dem Rothaarigen' (the red-haired man/person) or 'der Rothaarigen' (the red-haired woman/person).
EXAMPLE
Die Rothaarige dort drüben hat ihr Handy vergessen.
The red-haired woman over there forgot her phone.
Compare with
rothaarig vs rot
red
'rot' and 'rothaarig' are both connected to the color red. 'rot' is the general adjective for the color and can fit many things: 'ein rotes Auto' (a red car), 'ein rotes Kleid' (a red dress), or 'rote Haare' (red hair). 'rothaarig' is used only for people, or sometimes animals, that have red or reddish hair. Learners may confuse the words because 'rote Haare' and 'rothaarig' are used in similar situations. The difference is: 'rot' describes the color directly, while 'rothaarig' describes a characteristic of a person.
rothaarig
Die rothaarige Frau wartet vor dem Supermarkt auf ihre Freundin.
The red-haired woman is waiting for her friend in front of the supermarket.
rot
Nach dem Sport war sein Gesicht ganz rot.
After exercising, his face was completely red.
In real life
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