Rasen

Rasen is a German noun meaning lawn or grass surface. It refers to a grassy area that is kept short by mowing and is used for recreation, landscaping, or as a playing surface in sports. In everyday speech, der Rasen describes the lawn around a house or in a park, while phrases like auf dem Rasen or Rasenfläche specify the location or expanse.

In urban and suburban settings, Rasen is typically established by sowing seed or laying sod and is maintained through regular mowing, watering, fertilization, and weed control. Care practices vary with climate and lawn type; cool-season grasses are common in temperate parts of Germany, while warm-season grasses may be used in milder climates. Mowing height and frequency aim to promote healthy growth and prevent disease, with shorter cuts often preferred during active growth periods and avoiding mowing when the lawn is stressed.

In sports and public spaces, natural grass surfaces are still common for football, golf, and cricket in many regions; in other contexts artificial turf is increasingly used. The term Rasen can also appear in compound nouns such as Rasenmäher (lawn mower), Rasenpflege (lawn care), and Rasenfläche (lawn area).

The word is a standard element of everyday language in German-speaking countries and is part of a broader category of terms for managed grass surfaces, including wild grasses and meadows, which are described with different vocabulary.