noun

der Schuh, -e

shoes · shoe

Ein Kleidungsstück für die Füße, das sie schützt und beim Gehen unterstützt.

Definition & meaning

Schuh means shoe, an item of footwear worn on the foot. It usually refers to footwear with a sole and some kind of upper part covering or supporting the foot.

It can also be used in broader or figurative senses:

A specific shoe or pair of shoes:
Ich brauche neue Schuhe. — “I need new shoes.”
A type of footwear:
Wanderschuh means “hiking shoe,” while Sportschuh means “sports shoe.”
A figurative role or situation:
In the expression in jemandes Schuhen stecken, the word refers metaphorically to being in someone else’s situation.

Grammar & Word origin

Gender: masculine
Singular: der
Plural: die
Genitive singular: des or des
Diminutive: das , “little shoe”

The word is not normally analyzed as a modern compound; it is a basic German noun. It comes from Old High German scuoh and is related to English shoe.

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no perfect everyday synonym for Schuh.

— “footwear”; a more formal and general term that includes shoes, boots, and similar items.
— colloquial and often dismissive; it can mean “shoes” but may suggest unattractive or uncomfortable footwear.
— “slipper”; this is not a full synonym, but a specific type of worn indoors.

There is no direct antonym for Schuh. The expression , meaning “barefoot,” describes the absence of shoes rather than an opposite object.

Common phrases & collocations

— to wear shoes
— to put on shoes
— to take off shoes
— to buy new shoes
— literally “to fit someone as if cast”; to fit perfectly
— to be in someone else’s situation
— literally “to put on the shoe”; figuratively, to accept a criticism as applying to oneself