nounnounnoun

der Jugendliche, –

teenagers · teenager · adolescent · young person

Das sind junge Menschen, die älter als Kinder, aber noch nicht erwachsen sind.

Definition & meaning

The word Jugendliche generally refers to young people, typically those in the age range between childhood and adulthood (adolescents or teenagers).

There are two primary ways this word functions:

As a noun (plural): It refers to a group of young people. Example: "Die Jugendlichen spielen im Park." (The young people are playing in the park.)
As an adjective: It describes something relating to youth or characteristic of young people. Example: "Er hat ein jugendliches Aussehen." (He has a youthful appearance.)

When used as a noun, it can also be gender-specific in the singular:

Der Jugendliche: A male adolescent.
Die Jugendliche: A female adolescent.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: The word is an adjective used as a noun (nominalized adjective). When used as a noun, it follows the declension patterns of adjectives. It is feminine when referring to a singular female and masculine when referring to a singular male. In the plural, it refers to young people of any gender.

Word origin: The word is derived from the German noun Jugend (youth), which traces back to the Old High German word jugund. It combines the root for "young" with the suffix -lich, which is used to form adjectives indicating quality or character.