das  Haar

A1

Estimated CEFR level.

/haːɐ̯/

💇‍♀️ What does "das Haar" mean?

The word das Haar (noun, neuter) primarily refers to two things in German:

• A single hair: A thin filament growing from the skin of humans and mammals. Example: Ich habe ein Haar auf meinem Pullover gefunden. (I found a hair on my sweater.)
• Hair (collectively): The mass of hair on the human head. In this sense, the plural form die Haare is often used. Example: Sie hat lange, blonde Haare. (She has long, blonde hair.)

🚨 Important: Although people often say "die Haare" (plural) when referring to all the hair on the head, the singular word is "das Haar". When referring to a single strand, it's also "das Haar".

🧐 Grammar of "das Haar" in Detail

"Das Haar" is a neuter noun. Here are the declension tables:

Singular

Plural

The plural of "das Haar" is "die Haare".

✨ Example Sentences

1. Ein einzelnes graues Haar glänzte in der Sonne.
   (A single grey hair shone in the sun.)
2. Nach dem Friseurbesuch fühlten sich ihre Haare weich an.
   (After the visit to the hairdresser, her hair felt soft.)
3. Kannst du mir bitte ein Haar aus dem Gesicht streichen?
   (Can you please brush a hair out of my face?)
4. Der Wind zerzauste sein Haar / seine Haare.
   (The wind tousled his hair.)
5. Die Farbe des Haares war tiefschwarz.
   (The colour of the hair was jet black.)

💬 How to use "das Haar"?

"Das Haar" and its plural "die Haare" are very common words.

• Describing head hair: Color (blond, braun, rot, schwarz, grau), length (kurz, lang, mittellang), texture (glatt, lockig, wellig - straight, curly, wavy). Example: Sie hat lockige rote Haare. (She has curly red hair.)
• Hairstyles: People often talk about "Haare" when discussing hairstyles. Example: Er lässt sich die Haare schneiden. (He is getting his hair cut.)
• Body hair: Can also refer to other body hair, although more specific terms are often used (e.g., Barthaar - beard hair, Brusthaar - chest hair).
• Idioms (Redewendungen):
  • "Ein Haar in der Suppe finden": Literally "to find a hair in the soup"; to find fault with something, to be overly critical.
  • "Haare auf den Zähnen haben": Literally "to have hair on one's teeth"; to be very assertive or quarrelsome.
  • "Sich die Haare raufen": Literally "to tear one's hair out"; to be desperate.
  • "Um ein Haar": Literally "by a hair"; narrowly, almost (usually something negative happened).

Context: Used in everyday life, fashion, biology, medicine, and literature.

🧠 Mnemonics for "das Haar"

Remembering the Article "das":

Imagine das small, single Haar (hair) lying on the table. It's small and insignificant, like many neuter things that take 'das'. Das Haar. Think of it as *'it'* - *it* is *a hair*. *It* often translates to *das*.

Remembering the Meaning "Hair":

The German word Haar sounds very much like the English word *"Hair"*. When you brush your *hair*, think: "Ahhh, mein schönes Haar!"

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar but different words:

• Härchen: Diminutive, very fine, small hair.
• Fell: Animal fur/pelt, usually denser than human hair.

😂 A Hairy Joke

Warum tragen Skelette keine Haare?

Weil sie keine Haarwurzeln mehr haben! 😉

---

Why don't skeletons have hair?

Because they don't have hair roots anymore! 😉

📜 Poem about Hair

Das Haar, so fein, das Haar, so schlicht,
Mal dunkel, mal ein Sonnenlicht.
Es wächst und fällt, ein Lebensrad,
Mal kurz geschnitten, mal als lange Pracht.

Im Wind es weht, ein freies Spiel,
Mal störrisch, mal mit viel Gefühl.
Ein Schmuck des Haupts, mal grau, mal bunt,
Die Haare tun uns manches kund.

---

The hair, so fine, the hair, so plain,
Sometimes dark, sometimes like sunlight's stain.
It grows and falls, a wheel of life,
Sometimes cut short, sometimes long without strife.

In wind it blows, a free display,
Sometimes stubborn, sometimes feeling's sway.
An adornment of the head, grey or bright,
The hair tells us much with its light.

🤔 Hairy Riddle

Ich wachse auf dem Kopf, doch hab kein Hirn,
Man kämmt mich, schneidet mich, mal lang, mal kurz und modern.
Ein einzelnes von mir ist leicht und klein,
Doch viele von mir geben schönen Schein.

Was bin ich? (Lösung / Solution: Das Haar / Die Haare - Hair)

---

I grow on the head, but have no brain,
I'm combed, I'm cut, sometimes long, short, and modern again.
A single one of me is light and small,
But many of me give beauty to all.

What am I?
(Solution: Das Haar / Die Haare - Hair)

💡 More about "das Haar"

Trivia

• Ein menschliches Kopfhaar besteht hauptsächlich aus Keratin. (Human head hair consists mainly of keratin.)
• Haare können Hinweise auf die Gesundheit oder Ernährung geben. (Hair can provide clues about health or diet.)
• Die Haarfarbe wird durch Melanin bestimmt. (Hair color is determined by melanin.)

Word Composition

"Haar" is a base word found in many compound nouns (Komposita):

• Haarfarbe (hair color)
• Haarschnitt (haircut)
• Haarbürste (hairbrush)
• Haarnadel (hairpin)
• Haarspalterei (hair-splitting, excessive pedantry - compare "ein Haar in der Suppe finden")