Germansuited

Germansuited is a term used in English-language discussions of playing cards to refer to decks that use German suits rather than the French suits that dominate many international games. A German-suited deck typically features four suits named after acorns, leaves, hearts, and bells. The face cards and ranks in these decks differ from those in French-suited decks, commonly including Unter and Ober as face cards in place of the Jack and Queen, with variations in ranking and card counts by region and game.

German-suited decks have a long history in Central Europe and are associated with traditional regional games such as Skat and Schafkopf, as well as Doppelkopf in some variants. They remain in use in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, as well as among enthusiasts of historical or regional card traditions. The exact composition of the deck—numbers included, presence of Ace or Ten, and the order of trumps—can vary by country and by the game being played.

In contrast, the French-suited deck, with clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, is the dominant standard for many modern international card games and commercial playing cards. The term Germansuited helps distinguish the regional, historical, or game-specific characteristics of these decks from the widely used French-suited systems.

In practice, the form German-suited is more common in formal writing and catalogs, while the unhyphenated form Germansuited may appear in informal usage. When encountered, the term generally points to playing cards and games that employ the German suit system rather than the French one.