01
das Weed
weed
A colloquial term borrowed from English for marijuana or cannabis as an intoxicant.
example
In vielen Ländern ist der Besitz von Weed illegal.
In many countries, possession of weed is illegal.
das Weed
weed
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Meanings
Usage tips
False friend
In German, 'Weed' (weed/cannabis) refers exclusively to marijuana. It does not mean 'Unkraut' (weed) like the English word 'weed'. Unwanted plants in the garden are called 'das Unkraut' in German.
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei fand bei der Kontrolle eine kleine Menge Weed im Auto.
During the check, the police found a small amount of weed in the car.
Register: colloquial
'Weed' is a colloquial term borrowed from English. In official contexts such as news reports or legal texts, the words 'Cannabis' (cannabis) or 'Marihuana' (marijuana) are used.
EXAMPLE
Unter Jugendlichen ist der Begriff „Weed“ sehr verbreitet.
Among young people, the term 'Weed' is very common.
Use as a mass noun
'Weed' is used as an uncountable noun (mass noun), similar to 'Wasser' (water) or 'Sand' (sand). Therefore, it usually appears in the singular and often without an article when the substance is meant in general.
EXAMPLE
Er wurde wegen des Verkaufs von Weed verhaftet.
He was arrested for selling weed.
Compare with
Weed vs Gras
grass
'das Gras' and 'das Weed' can both colloquially mean marijuana or cannabis as an intoxicating drug. Both words are more suitable for casual conversations and not for very formal situations. 'Weed' is borrowed from English and often sounds even more informal or youth-language-like. 'Gras' is also colloquial, but very common in German. In the drug-related meaning, they can often mean the same thing.
Weed
In der Gruppe benutzen einige das Wort Weed statt Marihuana.
In the group, some people use the word Weed instead of marijuana.
Gras
Er sagte leise, dass er kein Gras bei sich hat.
He said quietly that he didn't have any weed on him.
In real life
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