schuppig
scaly
Covered with scales or consisting of small, overlapping scales.
EXAMPLE
Der schuppige Körper des Fisches glänzte im Sonnenlicht.
The fish's scaly body gleamed in the sunlight.
schuppig
scaly / flaky
schuppig – schuppiger – am schuppigsten
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Meanings
schuppig
flaky
Describing skin: dry and covered with small flakes of skin that are peeling off.
EXAMPLE
Im Winter wird die Haut an meinen Händen oft schuppig.
In winter, the skin on my hands often becomes flaky.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry schuppig, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | schuppig |
|---|---|
| comparative | schuppiger |
| superlative | am schuppigsten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to schuppig.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to schuppig.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to schuppig.
Usage tips
Word family
'Schuppig' (scaly / flaky) belongs to the word family of 'Schuppe' (scale / flake); the stem 'schupp-' combines with the suffix '-ig' to form an adjective. The word describes something that has scales or small, scale-like particles.
EXAMPLE
Die schuppige Oberfläche des Reptils fühlte sich rau an.
The reptile's scaly surface felt rough.
Context clue
When describing animals or surfaces, 'schuppig' (scaly) usually refers to visible scales. When it appears alongside words such as 'Haut' (skin), 'Kopfhaut' (scalp), 'Hände' (hands), or 'Stellen' (patches), it generally refers to flakes of skin that are peeling off.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Schwimmen war seine Haut an den Armen besonders schuppig.
After swimming, the skin on his arms was particularly flaky.
Der Fisch hatte einen schuppigen Körper.
The fish had a scaly body.
Typical collocations
When talking about skin, common combinations include 'schuppige Haut' (flaky skin), 'schuppige Stellen' (flaky patches), and 'schuppige Kopfhaut' (flaky scalp). The adjective often describes a visible skin condition that can be made worse by dryness.
EXAMPLE
Im Herbst bekomme ich manchmal schuppige Stellen an den Beinen.
In autumn, I sometimes get flaky patches on my legs.
In real life
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