Handfläche

palm (of the hand)

noun HANT-fle-khe Rare

Usage Note

Handfläche is the flat inner surface of the hand, composed of Hand + Fläche (surface/area). It is used in anatomical descriptions and idioms such as wie seine Handfläche kennen (to know like the back of one's hand).

Examples

"Sie rieb sich die Handflächen, um sie zu wärmen."

Natural Translation

She rubbed her palms together to warm them up.

Literal Translation

She rubbed herself the palms, to warm them.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Adjective Endings Made Simple

German adjective endings come down to one question, not three tables: does the article already show gender and case? If yes, the adjective stays lazy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Greetings by Region: Grüß Gott to Grüezi

German greetings change by region: say Moin in Hamburg, Grüß Gott in Bavaria, Grüezi in Switzerland. A map of every hello and goodbye, plus du vs. Sie.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Body Parts: Vocabulary + How to Say It Hurts

Learn German body parts with der/die/das and plurals, plus the two ways to say something hurts: Mir tut der Kopf weh and Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read