Common German Abbreviations by Topic

If you’re reading anything on the internet, especially social media, you’re bound to come across abbreviations. To help you survive, I’ve compiled several lists of common abbreviations in German to get you started!

To search for an abbreviation in a desktop browser, press Ctrl+F (PC) or Cmd+F (Mac) and type in the abbrevation!

Click on any of the images to save them on Pinterest!

TIME-RELATED PHRASES

abds.

abends (in the evening)

d.M.

dieses Monats (of this month)

inzw.

inzwischen (in the meantime)

Jh.

Jahrhundert (century)

sek.

Sekunde (second)

Std.

Stunde (hour)

tägl.

täglich (daily)

MEASUREMENTS

cal.
Kalorie (calorie)

cbm
Kubikmeter (cubic meter)

ccm
Kubikzentimeter (cubic centimeter)

kg
Kilogramm (kilogram)

km
Kilometer (kilometer)

kW
Kilowatt (kilowatt)

m
Meter (meter)

mm
Millieter (millimeter)

cbm
Kubikmeter (cubic meter)

ccm
Kubikzentimeter (cubic centimeter)

kg
Kilogramm (kilogram)

km
Kilometer (kilometer)

kW
Kilowatt (kilowatt)

m
Meter (meter)

mm
Millieter (millimeter)

PROFESSIONAL

Fr.
Frau (Mrs.)

Frl.
Fraulein (Miss)

Hr.
Herr (mister)

m/w/d*
männlich/weiblich/divers
(indicates that, even if a job title is grammatically masculine, anyone can apply)

z.B.
zum Biespiel (for example)

m.a.W.
mit anderen Worten (in other words)

d.h.
das heißt (that is)