Kühlschrank

refrigerator

noun KUEL-shrank Rare

Also means

fridge

Usage Note

Kühlschrank is the standard German word for a refrigerator. A combined fridge-freezer is Kühl-Gefrier-Kombination; an American-style side-by-side model is Side-by-Side-Kühlschrank. The colloquial shortening Kühlschrank is also used for just the fridge section.

Examples

"Der Kühlschrank muss regelmäßig abgetaut werden, damit er effizient bleibt."

Natural Translation

The refrigerator needs to be defrosted regularly to remain efficient.

Literal Translation

The refrigerator must regularly defrosted be, so that it efficient remains.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Days, Months & Seasons (am, im & -tag)

Days of the week in German use am, months and seasons use im — plus the -tag pattern, capitalized nouns, and how to build a real sentence with a day.

June 5, 2026 4 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

GermanNow

Du vs. Sie: When to Use Each in German

Use Sie with strangers, elders, and at work; use du with friends, family, kids, and peers. Here's how to pick the right German you every time.

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