01
der Schiit
Shiite
A follower of Shiism, one of the two main branches of Islam.
example
Der Nachbar meiner Tante ist ein gläubiger Schiit aus dem Irak.
My aunt's neighbor is a devout Shiite from Iraq.
der Schiit
Shiite
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Meanings
Usage tips
N-declension
This noun belongs to the N-declension. That means it takes the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular. Learners often make this mistake.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe gestern mit einem Schiiten gesprochen.
I spoke with a Shiite yesterday.
Word family
The word 'der Schiit' (Shiite) belongs to a word family. The religious branch is called 'der Schiismus' (Shiism), and the related adjective is 'schiitisch' (Shiite/Shi'a).
EXAMPLE
Er kennt sich gut mit dem Schiismus aus.
He knows a lot about Shiism.
Typical collocations
This word is often used with geographical information or descriptive adjectives to make someone's origin or religious practice clear.
EXAMPLE
Die meisten Schiiten leben im Iran und im Irak.
Most Shiites live in Iran and Iraq.
Compare with
Schiit vs Muslim
Muslim
'der Muslim' and 'der Schiit' both refer to Islam. 'Muslim' is the general term for a male follower of Islam. 'Schiit' is more specific and means a follower of Shiism, a particular branch within Islam. The words can be confused because a Shiite is also a Muslim. But not every Muslim is a Shiite. If you only mean the religion in general, 'Muslim' fits. If the specific branch is important, you say 'Schiit'.
Schiit
Im Unterricht erklärt die Lehrerin, dass ein Schiit zu einer Richtung des Islam gehört.
In class, the teacher explains that a Shiite belongs to a branch of Islam.
Muslim
Ali ist Muslim und feiert mit seiner Familie das Zuckerfest.
Ali is Muslim and celebrates Eid al-Fitr with his family.
In real life
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