das Weiß, -

Meaning in English

1. White (the color): describing something that has the color white.
   • ein weißes Hemd = a white shirt
2. “I know” can look similar in writing, but that is a different word: weiß (from wissen = to know).
   • Weiß (capital W) is normally the color word.
   • weiß (lowercase) is usually the verb form meaning “(he/she/it) knows” or “I know” depending on context.

Parts / word structure

• weiß is the basic adjective (dictionary form).
• It changes with gender/case/number:
  • weiß (e.g., ein weißer Hund / ein weißes Auto / weiße Blumen)
• Comparative and superlative:
  • weißer = whiter
  • am weißesten / der/die/das weißeste = whitest

German synonyms (similar meaning)

Depending on context:

• schneeweiß (snow-white)
• reinweiß (pure white)
• hell (light-colored; not always strictly “white”)

German antonyms (opposites)

• schwarz (black)
• Sometimes also: dunkel (dark), depending on context

Notes on capitalization

• Weiß can also appear as a noun meaning “white” (the color) in some contexts, though Weiß is more commonly seen as a surname or in fixed expressions. The adjective is normally written weiß unless it starts a sentence.