Wanderratte

brown rat

noun VAN-der-rat-te Rare

Usage Note

Wanderratte (Rattus norvegicus) is the most widespread rat species in Germany, living in sewers, cellars and fields. Despite its name suggesting Norway, it originated in Asia. Plural: die Wanderratten.

Examples

"Wanderratten sind äußerst anpassungsfähig und können fast überall leben."

Natural Translation

Brown rats are extremely adaptable and can live almost anywhere.

Literal Translation

Brown rats are extremely adaptable and can live almost everywhere.

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 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

GermanNow

Wo, Wohin, Woher: Three Ways to Say Where

German splits where into three: wo (location), wohin (destination), and woher (origin). Learn the wo vs wohin rule, the hin/her logic, and common mistakes.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Umlauts & ß: Sounds and Typing

Pronounce ä, ö, ü with the front-tongue, rounded-lips rule, master the ß vs ss spelling, and type every German umlaut on Mac, Windows, and phone.

June 5, 2026 6 min read