die
Hausnummer
🔢 What exactly is a Hausnummer?
Die Hausnummer (abbreviation: Hnr., Nr.) is a number (sometimes combined with letters) assigned to a building within a street or square. It serves for the unique identification and addressing of buildings, especially for mail delivery, navigation, and emergency services.
It's a compound word made from Haus (house) and Nummer (number). Since the base word Nummer is feminine (die Nummer), die Hausnummer is also feminine.
🚨 There is only the article die for Hausnummer, as it refers to a specific concept.
Article rules for der, die, and das
Numbers, calculations → almost always feminine.
Caution: When verbs are turned into nouns, the result is 'das Addieren', 'das Subtrahieren', 'das Multiplizieren', 'das Dividieren'.
🧐 Grammar: Declension of Hausnummer
The noun „Hausnummer“ is feminine. Here are the declension tables for singular and plural:
Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Hausnummer |
| Genitive | der | Hausnummer |
| Dative | der | Hausnummer |
| Accusative | die | Hausnummer |
Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Hausnummern |
| Genitive | der | Hausnummern |
| Dative | den | Hausnummern |
| Accusative | die | Hausnummern |
💡 Examples of Use
- Meine Hausnummer ist die 15.
My house number is 15. - Können Sie mir bitte die Hausnummer des Rathauses sagen?
Could you please tell me the house number of the town hall? - Die Post konnte das Paket nicht zustellen, weil die Hausnummer fehlte.
The post office couldn't deliver the package because the house number was missing. - Auf dieser Straßenseite sind nur gerade Hausnummern.
On this side of the street, there are only even house numbers. - Alle Hausnummern in dieser Siedlung wurden neu vergeben.
All house numbers in this housing estate were reassigned.
📍 Everyday Usage of die Hausnummer
Die Hausnummer is an essential part of every address. You need it:
- ✉️ When sending letters and parcels (Briefe und Pakete).
- 🗺️ For navigation using maps or GPS devices (Karten oder GPS-Geräte).
- 🧑⚕️ For emergency services (Notdienste - ambulance, fire brigade, police) to find the location quickly.
- 🛒 For online orders (Online-Bestellungen) for the delivery address (Lieferadresse).
- 🏢 For official registration with authorities (Behörden).
In German, the Hausnummer usually comes after the street name (Straßenname):
Musterstraße 10
Hauptplatz 5a
Don't confuse die Hausnummer with the Postleitzahl (PLZ) (postal code/zip code), which identifies a larger geographical area (district, town).
🧠 Mnemonics for Hausnummer
For the article 'die': Remember that the base word is 'die Nummer' (the number). A Hausnummer is just a specific type of number, so it stays feminine: die Hausnummer. Think of it like 'The number identifies the house.'
For the meaning: Imagine you need to number the houses (Haus -> Haus) on a street. You give each one a number (Nummer). Put them together: Haus + Nummer = Hausnummer (house number).
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
Antonyms (Opposites)
- Not directly applicable, as it's a specific identifier. You could say: ohne Hausnummer (without a house number) or unnummeriert (unnumbered).
⚠️ Similar Terms
- Postleitzahl (PLZ): Postal code/Zip code. Defines a delivery area, not a single house.
- Straßenname: Street name. Identifies the street, not the specific building on it.
😄 A Little Joke
DE: „Warum hat das Haus die Nummer 100? Weil es hundert Mal besser ist als das mit der Nummer 1!“
EN: "Why does the house have the number 100? Because it's a hundred times better than the one with number 1!"
📜 Poem about the Hausnummer
DE:
An jeder Tür, an jeder Wand,
find'st du sie, im ganzen Land.
Mal groß, mal klein, mal schick, mal schlicht,
die Hausnummer, ein kleines Licht.
Sie sagt dem Postboot, wo er hin,
erfüllt für uns den Adress-Sinn.
Ob 7, 12, ob A, ob B,
ohne sie wär's Chaos, ohje!
EN:
On every door, on every wall,
you'll find it, standing tall.
Sometimes big, sometimes small, chic or plain,
the Hausnummer, again and again.
It tells the postman where to go,
fulfills the address need, you know.
Whether 7, 12, or A, or B,
without it, chaos there would be!
❓ Riddle Time
DE:
Ich gehöre zum Haus, doch bin kein Raum,
steh an der Wand, oft unterm Baum.
Ich bin eine Zahl, manchmal mit Strich,
findet der Briefträger nur durch mich.
Was bin ich?
Lösung: die Hausnummer
EN:
I belong to the house, but am not a room,
I stand on the wall, often beneath the bloom (of a tree).
I am a number, sometimes with a letter's touch,
the mail carrier finds the way through me so much.
What am I?
Solution: the Hausnummer (house number)
✨ Trivia & Origin
Word Composition:
The word "Hausnummer" is a compound noun (ein Kompositum), composed of two words:
- Haus: Refers to the building (house).
- Nummer: Refers to the assigned digit or character combination (number).
Interesting Fact: The systematic assignment of house numbers began in Europe in the 18th century, often for military or tax reasons (e.g., for better quartering of soldiers or registration of citizens).
Variations: In some countries or cities, there are special systems, e.g., numbering based on distance from the city center or block numbering.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Hausnummer?
The word "Hausnummer" is always feminine. The correct article is die Hausnummer.