orphanage
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orphanage
A home or institution where children live who no longer have parents or, for other reasons, cannot grow up with their family.
Früher gab es in jeder größeren Stadt ein Waisenhaus.
In the past, there was an orphanage in every larger town.
The word 'Waisenhaus' (orphanage) is a compound made up of 'die Waise' (an orphan, a child without parents) and 'das Haus' (house). So it literally means a 'house for orphans'.
In vielen alten Romanen wachsen die Hauptfiguren in einem Waisenhaus auf.
In many old novels, the main characters grow up in an orphanage.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' with the correct case. Movement toward the place is expressed with 'ins Waisenhaus' (into the orphanage; in das, accusative), while being there requires 'im Waisenhaus' (in the orphanage; in dem, dative).
Die Kinder kamen nach dem Tod ihrer Eltern ins Waisenhaus.
After their parents died, the children went to the orphanage.
Common verbs used with 'Waisenhaus' (orphanage) are 'in einem Waisenhaus aufwachsen' (to grow up in an orphanage), 'in ein Waisenhaus kommen' (to go/come to an orphanage), and 'ein Waisenhaus leiten' (to run an orphanage).
Sie wuchs in einem Waisenhaus auf, bevor sie adoptiert wurde.
She grew up in an orphanage before she was adopted.
children's home
Waisenhaus and Kinderheim both refer to institutions where children do not grow up with their families. Waisenhaus particularly emphasizes that the children no longer have parents and often sounds more traditional; Kinderheim is the broader term for children with various family-related reasons for living away from home. For a general modern children's home, Kinderheim is therefore usually the better fit.
In dem alten Roman findet das Kind nach dem Tod seiner Eltern ein neues Zuhause im Waisenhaus.
In the old novel, the child finds a new home in an orphanage after its parents die.
Nach den Problemen in der Familie lebt das Kind vorübergehend in einem Kinderheim.
After problems in the family, the child temporarily lives in a children's home.
