die
Juristin
📜 What does 'die Juristin' mean?
Die Juristin (plural: die Juristinnen) refers to a woman who has studied law (often having passed the state examinations, Staatsexamen) or works professionally in the legal field. It is the feminine form of der Jurist (the male lawyer/jurist).
She can work as a Rechtsanwältin (female attorney), Richterin (female judge), Staatsanwältin (female prosecutor), Notarin (female notary), or in other law-related professions, for example in companies, administrations, or universities.
It is a feminine noun and always takes the article die.
Article rules for der, die, and das
Women → almost always feminine.
Caution: Most professions also have their feminine forms (e.g. die Polizistin). Some words can also have two forms: der/die Deutsche, der/die Kranke.
-in → mostly feminine.
All persons and professions ending in -in are feminine. Other -in nouns can be der/die/das.
📊 Grammar and Declension of 'die Juristin'
As a feminine noun, 'die Juristin' follows the standard feminine declension pattern in German. Here are the tables for singular and plural:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | die | Juristin |
| Genitive (Possessive) | der | Juristin |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | der | Juristin |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | die | Juristin |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Juristinnen |
| Genitive | der | Juristinnen |
| Dative | den | Juristinnen |
| Accusative | die | Juristinnen |
Example Sentences 📚
- Die Juristin bereitete sich sorgfältig auf den Prozess vor.
(The female jurist prepared carefully for the trial.) - Der Rat der erfahrenen Juristin war sehr wertvoll.
(The advice of the experienced female jurist was very valuable.) - Wir haben den Fall einer kompetenten Juristin übergeben.
(We handed the case over to a competent female jurist.) - Auf der Konferenz traf ich viele interessante Juristinnen.
(At the conference, I met many interesting female jurists.)
💡 Everyday Usage
The word die Juristin is used to refer to a female person with legal training or occupation. It's a formal and neutral job title.
- Context: Professional life, academia, news reports, official documents.
- Distinction: While terms like Anwältin (female attorney), Richterin (female judge), etc., describe specific roles, Juristin is a more general term for a woman in the legal profession.
- Gender-inclusive language: In plural, forms like Juristinnen und Juristen (female and male jurists) or gender-neutral options like Jurist:innen or JuristInnen are often used to include all genders. Using only the masculine plural Juristen generically is still done sometimes but is increasingly considered outdated or non-inclusive.
🧠 Mnemonics for 'Juristin'
Article Mnemonic: Feminine like 'she' who knows the law - die Juristin. The '-in' ending in German often signals female persons and thus the article 'die'.
Meaning Mnemonic: Think of 'jurisprudence' (study of law) and the suffix '-istin', indicating a female expert. A 'Juristin' is a female expert in law ('Jura').
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Terms):
- Rechtsgelehrte: (Female legal scholar) - More focused on the academic study of law.
- Rechtskundige: (Female person knowledgeable in law) - General term.
- Anwältin: (Female attorney/lawyer) - Specific role (represents parties).
- Richterin: (Female judge) - Specific role (makes judgments).
- Staatsanwältin: (Female prosecutor) - Specific role (represents the state in prosecution).
Antonyms (Opposites):
- Laie / Laiin: (Layperson [m/f]) - Person without expertise (in law).
- Nichtjuristin: (Non-jurist [female]) - Explicit negation.
Related Terms:
- Der Jurist: The male form (male lawyer/jurist).
- Jura: The subject of law studies.
😄 A Little Joke
Fragt der Richter die Angeklagte: "Sind Sie sicher, dass Sie keine Juristin als Verteidigerin wollen?"
Antwortet die Angeklagte: "Nein, danke. Ich möchte lieber die Wahrheit sagen."
Translation:
The judge asks the defendant (female): "Are you sure you don't want a female lawyer (Juristin) as your defender?"
The defendant replies: "No, thank you. I'd rather tell the truth."
✍️ Poem about the 'Juristin'
Paragraphen kennt sie gut,
Gesetzesbücher voller Mut.
Die Juristin, schlau und fein,
bringt Klarheit in den Rechtesschein.
Mit Argument und spitzer Feder,
kämpft sie für Recht – und das für jeder.
Translation:
She knows the paragraphs well,
Law books full of courage tell.
The Juristin, smart and fine,
Brings clarity to the legal shine.
With argument and pointed pen,
She fights for justice – for all women and men.
❓ Riddle
Ich kenne das Gesetz genau,
bin eine kluge, tät'ge Frau.
Vor Gericht oder im Büro,
mein Rat hilft sowieso.
Ich trage oft den Titel 'Frau Doktor' gar,
wer bin ich, das ist sonnenklar?
Translation:
I know the law precisely,
I am a clever, active lady.
In court or in the office space,
My advice helps in any case.
I often bear the title 'Frau Doktor' true,
Who am I, it's clear to you?
Solution: Die Juristin
ℹ️ Other Information
Word Composition: The word derives from its male counterpart "Jurist", which in turn comes from the Latin ius (genitive: iuris), meaning "law" or "right". The suffix "-in" is added to form the feminine version, a common pattern in German (e.g., Lehrer -> Lehrerin [teacher m/f], Arzt -> Ärztin [doctor m/f]).
Academic Titles: Many female jurists hold academic degrees such as "Diplom-Juristin" (Dipl.-Jur., roughly a Master's equivalent in law) or "Doktor der Rechte" (Dr. iur., Doctor of Law).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Juristin?
The word "Juristin" is a feminine noun and therefore always uses the article die. The plural is die Juristinnen.