Grandma in German: Oma, Opa, Großmutter and Grandparents

Grandma in German is die Oma (OH-mah), and grandpa is der Opa (OH-pah). These are the warm, everyday words that German speakers of every age use for their grandparents. The more formal words are die Großmutter (grandmother) and der Großvater (grandfather), and grandparents are die Großeltern.

Below: a quick table, where Oma comes from, Oma vs Omi vs Großmutter, the grammar that trips learners up, great-grandparents and grandchildren, cards to Grandma and a few expressions. Then mistakes, practice and quick answers.

Grandma in German: The Quick Answer

These are the words for grandparents, great-grandparents and grandchildren:

German	English	When to use it
die Oma	grandma	Everyday
die Omi	granny, nana	Extra affectionate, often from small children
die Großmutter	grandmother	Formal, written, official
der Opa	grandpa	Everyday
der Opi	grandpa (affectionate)	Extra affectionate, often from small children
der Großvater	grandfather	Formal, written, official
die Großeltern	grandparents	Plural only; everyday and formal
die Urgroßmutter / die Uroma	great-grandmother	Formal / everyday
der Urgroßvater / der Uropa	great-grandfather	Formal / everyday
der Enkel / die Enkelin	grandson (or grandchild) / granddaughter	Everyday and formal
das Enkelkind	grandchild	Any grandchild, boy or girl

If you only learn two words, learn Oma and Opa.

What Does Oma Mean?

Oma simply means grandma, and adults use it as much as children do: Meine Oma ist 90 und topfit. (My grandma is 90 and in great shape.)

How to Pronounce Oma, Opa and Großmutter

Say OH-mah and OH-pah, stressing the first syllable. The o is a long, pure "oh", and the final a is an open "ah", not the soft "uh" at the end of English "sofa".

The formal words start with groß (big, grand): Großmutter (GROHS-moo-ter), Großvater (GROHS-fah-ter) and Großeltern (GROHS-el-tern). The ß is a sharp "s", and the v in Vater sounds like "f"; our guide to German pronunciation covers both.

Where Oma Comes From

Oma began as a child's word: dictionaries describe it as children's language for Großmama, and Opa for Großpapa. Like Mama and Papa, the short forms are easy for small children to say, and they stuck.

Oma and Opa are used all over Germany and Austria and understood wherever German is spoken. Swiss German also has its own words, such as Grosi (grandma), and Swiss spelling writes Grossmutter, since Switzerland doesn't use ß.

Dutch uses the same two words, oma and opa. So if your family has German (or Dutch) roots and you've always called your grandmother Oma, you've been speaking correct German all along.

Oma vs Omi vs Großmutter vs Großmama

Word	How it feels	Typical use
Oma	warm, normal	The default
Omi	cuddly, sweet	Small children; some families use it as her name
Großmutter	neutral, a bit formal	Writing, forms, polite questions
Großmama	old-fashioned	Older books; rare today

Talking to her: use Oma or Omi like a name. Oma, kommst du am Sonntag? (Grandma, are you coming on Sunday?) Omi, liest du mir was vor? (Granny, will you read me something?)

Talking about her: meine Oma works in almost any conversation; meine Großmutter sounds a little more serious.

Forms and writing: official documents, family trees and essays use Großmutter: Meine Großmutter ist in Köln geboren. (My grandmother was born in Cologne.) It's also the polite choice when you ask about someone else's: Wie geht es Ihrer Großmutter? (How is your grandmother?)

In the Grimm fairy tale Rotkäppchen (Little Red Riding Hood), the wolf in disguise hears the famous line: Ei, Großmutter, was hast du für große Ohren! (Oh, Grandmother, what big ears you have!)

Grandpa in German: Opa, Opi and Großvater

The grandpa words work exactly like the grandma words:

der Opa (OH-pah): the everyday word. Mein Opa kocht jeden Sonntag für die ganze Familie. (My grandpa cooks for the whole family every Sunday.)
der Opi (OH-pee): extra affectionate, mostly from small children. Opi, spielst du mit mir? (Grandpa, will you play with me?)
der Großvater (GROHS-fah-ter): formal and written. Mein Großvater war Lehrer. (My grandfather was a teacher.)
der Großpapa: old-fashioned, like Großmama.

Don't let the -a ending fool you: Opa is masculine, der Opa, just like der Papa.

Together they're Oma und Opa in family talk, or die Großeltern (grandparents). Großeltern is a plural-only word, so the verb is plural too: Meine Großeltern sind seit 60 Jahren verheiratet. (My grandparents have been married for 60 years.)

Grammar Tips: Articles, Plurals and Cases

Articles and Plurals

Singular	Plural	English
die Oma	die Omas	grandma
die Großmutter	die Großmütter	grandmother
der Opa	die Opas	grandpa
der Großvater	die Großväter	grandfather
(no singular)	die Großeltern	grandparents

The formal plurals take an umlaut, just like die Mutter, die Mütter and der Vater, die Väter. The short forms simply add -s. More patterns in our guide to German plural rules.

Oma Without an Article

Inside the family, Oma and Opa work like first names, so you often drop the article:

Oma kommt morgen. (Grandma is coming tomorrow.)
Wir fahren zu Oma. (We're going to Grandma's.)
Das Rezept ist von Opa. (The recipe is from Grandpa.)
Am Wochenende sind wir bei Oma und Opa. (This weekend we're at Grandma and Grandpa's.)

Learn the last one as a chunk: bei means "at someone's place". Zu, von and bei all take the dative; see our guide to German dative prepositions.

You'll also hear the article in casual speech, especially in southern Germany and Austria: Die Oma kommt morgen. Wir fahren zur Oma. Both versions are correct and mean the same.

Omas Apfelkuchen: The Possessive -s

To say "Grandma's" or "Grandpa's", add -s with no apostrophe:

Omas Apfelkuchen (Grandma's apple cake)
Opas Garten (Grandpa's garden)

This works when Oma is used like a name. With meine or mein, written German uses the genitive case, and everyday speech often uses von instead:

das Haus meiner Großmutter (my grandmother's house)
der Garten meines Opas (my grandpa's garden)
der Garten von meinem Opa (my grandpa's garden, spoken)

Meine Oma, mein Opa: Possessives and Cases

"My" changes its ending with the case. These are the forms you'll use all the time:

Case	grandma	grandpa	grandparents
Nominative	meine Oma	mein Opa	meine Großeltern
Accusative	meine Oma	meinen Opa	meine Großeltern
Dative	meiner Oma	meinem Opa	meinen Großeltern

Ich besuche meinen Opa. (I'm visiting my grandpa.) Accusative: he's the direct object.
Das Geschenk ist für meinen Opa. (The present is for my grandpa.) Für is one of the accusative prepositions.
Ich telefoniere oft mit meiner Oma. (I often talk to my grandma on the phone.) Mit takes the dative.
Ich schreibe meiner Oma eine Karte. (I'm writing my grandma a card.) Dative: she receives something.
Ich wohne bei meinen Großeltern. (I live with my grandparents.) Dative plural: Großeltern already ends in -n, so nothing more is added.

Which Grandma? Mother's Side and Father's Side

German has two handy words for the family side:

meine Oma mütterlicherseits (my grandma on my mother's side)
mein Opa väterlicherseits (my grandpa on my father's side)

Or describe the relationship directly: die Mutter meiner Mutter (my mother's mother), der Vater meines Vaters (my father's father). More casually: die Mutter von meinem Vater (my father's mother).

In daily life, many families simply tell two grandmas apart by first name (Oma Inge, Oma Hanne) or by where they live (die Oma aus Hamburg).

Great-Grandparents: The Ur- Words

For each extra generation, add Ur- (OOR):

German	English
die Urgroßmutter, die Uroma	great-grandmother
der Urgroßvater, der Uropa	great-grandfather
die Urgroßeltern	great-grandparents
die Ururgroßmutter, die Ururoma	great-great-grandmother
der Urenkel, die Urenkelin	great-grandson, great-granddaughter

Uroma (OOR-oh-mah) and Uropa are the everyday words; Urgroßmutter is what you'd write in a family tree. Meine Uroma ist 98 und erzählt die besten Geschichten. (My great-grandma is 98 and tells the best stories.)

Grandchildren: Enkel, Enkelin, Enkelkind

der Enkel (ENG-kel), plural die Enkel: grandson. It also means grandchild in general, and the plural covers a mixed group: Sie hat fünf Enkel. (She has five grandchildren.)
die Enkelin (ENG-keh-lin), plural die Enkelinnen: granddaughter. Ich bin ihre Enkelin. (I'm her granddaughter.)
das Enkelkind, plural die Enkelkinder: grandchild, boy or girl. Meine Großeltern haben sieben Enkelkinder. (My grandparents have seven grandchildren.)

Step-Grandparents

A step-grandma is die Stiefoma (formally die Stiefgroßmutter), and a step-grandpa is der Stiefopa. In practice, many families just say Oma and Opa. For aunts, cousins, in-laws and the rest of the family tree, see our guide to family members in German.

Writing to Grandma: Cards and Messages

Start a card or message with Liebe for her and Lieber for him:

Liebe Oma, (Dear Grandma,)
Lieber Opa, (Dear Grandpa,)
Liebe Oma, lieber Opa, (Dear Grandma and Grandpa,)

After the comma, continue on a new line with a small letter, unless the first word is a noun or a name. To sign off:

Hab dich lieb! (Love you!) The warm family "I love you"; our guide to I love you in German explains how it differs from Ich liebe dich.
Ganz liebe Grüße (Lots of love)
Ich vermisse dich! (I miss you!)
deine Lea or dein Ben (your Lea, your Ben): deine if you're female, dein if you're male.

A birthday card to Grandma could look like this:

Liebe Oma, (Dear Grandma,)
alles Gute zum Geburtstag! (Happy birthday!)
Ich wünsche dir Gesundheit und ganz viel Freude. (I wish you good health and lots of happiness.)
Ich freue mich schon auf Sonntag. (I'm already looking forward to Sunday.)
Hab dich lieb! (Love you!)
deine Lea (Lea)

For more wishes, see our guide to happy birthday in German.

Talking About Your Grandparents

Family often comes up when you introduce yourself in German. These sentences cover most conversations:

Meine Oma wohnt in Hamburg. (My grandma lives in Hamburg.)
Ich besuche meine Großeltern jedes Wochenende. (I visit my grandparents every weekend.)
Mein Opa ist 85 Jahre alt. (My grandpa is 85 years old.)
Wie heißt deine Oma? (What's your grandma's name?) Sie heißt Inge. (Her name is Inge.)
Hast du noch Großeltern? (Do you still have any grandparents?)
Meine Oma geht jeden Morgen schwimmen. (My grandma goes swimming every morning.)
Mein Großvater ist leider schon gestorben. (Sadly, my grandfather has passed away.)

A typical exchange with a friend:

Friend: Was machst du am Wochenende? (What are you doing this weekend?)
You: Ich fahre zu meinen Großeltern nach Hamburg. (I'm going to see my grandparents in Hamburg.)
Friend: Schön! Wie alt ist deine Oma jetzt? (Nice! How old is your grandma now?)
You: Sie wird am Samstag 80. (She turns 80 on Saturday.)

Expressions With Oma

Das kannst du deiner Oma erzählen!

Literally "You can tell that to your grandma!", this means "I don't believe a word of it" or "tell that to someone else". You'll also hear it with Großmutter. It's casual, so keep it for friends:

Du warst um zehn im Bett? Das kannst du deiner Oma erzählen! (You were in bed by ten? Tell that to someone else!)

Nach Omas Art: Grandma-Style Cooking

On menus and food packaging, nach Omas Art (grandma-style) and nach Omas Rezept (from Grandma's recipe) promise traditional, homemade-style food:

Kartoffelsalat nach Omas Art (grandma-style potato salad)
Apfelkuchen nach Omas Rezept (apple cake from Grandma's recipe)

Related: wie zu Omas Zeiten (like in Grandma's day), meaning the traditional way.

Don't Call Strangers Oma or Opa

Oma and Opa are family words. Addressing an older person you don't know as "Oma" or "Opa" sounds rude. Use Sie and a neutral opener instead: Entschuldigung, kann ich Ihnen helfen? (Excuse me, can I help you?) To describe someone, say die ältere Dame (the older lady) or der ältere Herr (the older gentleman).

Common Mistakes

Adding an Apostrophe

Avoid: Oma's Apfelkuchen Better: Omas Apfelkuchen

You'll see the apostrophe on some shop signs, but standard German adds a plain -s, with no apostrophe.

Writing Liebe Opa

Wrong: Liebe Opa, Right: Lieber Opa,

Liebe is for a woman, lieber for a man.

Forgetting the Case Ending

Wrong: Ich fahre mit meine Oma. Right: Ich fahre mit meiner Oma.

Wrong: Ich besuche mein Opa. Right: Ich besuche meinen Opa.

Mit takes the dative, and a masculine direct object takes meinen.

Treating Großeltern as Singular

Wrong: Meine Großeltern wohnt in Bremen. Right: Meine Großeltern wohnen in Bremen.

Getting the Article or Plural Wrong

Wrong: die Opa Right: der Opa

Wrong: die Großmutters Right: die Großmütter

Calling a Granddaughter Enkel

Wrong: Ich bin ihr Enkel. (said by a girl) Right: Ich bin ihre Enkelin.

Practice

Try these, then check the answers below:

Translate: My grandpa lives in Berlin.
Fill the gap: Ich telefoniere jeden Sonntag mit ___ Oma. (mein)
Fill the gap: Die Blumen sind für ___ Opa. (mein)
Give the plurals: die Großmutter, der Opa.
Write the first line of a birthday card to your grandpa.
How do you say "Grandma's apple cake" in German?

Answers: 1. Mein Opa wohnt in Berlin. 2. meiner 3. meinen 4. die Großmütter, die Opas 5. Lieber Opa, 6. Omas Apfelkuchen

Keep going: see more examples on the Oma and Opa word pages, then test yourself with the A1 German quiz.

FAQ

What does Oma mean in German?

Oma means grandma. It's the warm, everyday word for die Großmutter (grandmother), used by children and adults. It started as a child's word, like Mama.

What is grandpa in German?

Grandpa is der Opa (OH-pah). The formal word for grandfather is der Großvater (GROHS-fah-ter), and small children often say Opi.

Is it Oma or Omi?

Both are correct. Oma is the standard everyday word. Omi is a cuddlier version, common with small children, and some families use it as her name.

How do you say grandmother formally in German?

Say die Großmutter (GROHS-moo-ter), plural die Großmütter. Use it in writing, on forms and when you ask politely about someone else's grandmother.

What do German kids call their grandparents?

Mostly Oma and Opa, or Omi and Opi when they're small. Many families add a first name to tell two grandmas apart, such as Oma Inge. In Switzerland, you'll also hear dialect words like Grosi.

How do you say grandparents in German?

Say die Großeltern (GROHS-el-tern). It's plural only, so the verb is plural too: Meine Großeltern wohnen in Wien. (My grandparents live in Vienna.) In family talk, people often just say Oma und Opa.