Sachen

Sachen is the plural form of Sache, a German noun that covers both tangible objects and matters or affairs. In everyday language, Sachen usually means physical belongings or items: “Ich packe meine Sachen” or “Hast du deine Sachen dabei?” It can also refer to issues or topics in a discussion, as in “eine heikle Sache.” The singular Sache is used for a single item or a particular matter.

In German law, the term has a technical sense. In the field of Sachenrecht (property law), Sachen are objects over which legal rights can exist. The category includes corporeal objects and, in some contexts, real estate; it distinguishes between bewegliche Sachen (movable objects) and unbewegliche Sachen (immovable property). The law governs how Eigentum (ownership) and Besitz (possession) attach to and pass with these objects, and how dingliche Rechte (real rights) relate to them.

In philosophy and linguistics, Sache is used to discuss the nature of objects as they are presented to perception or inquiry. It often appears in discussions of ontology, embodiment, and the relationship between language and the world.

The word also appears in numerous compound terms such as Sachverhalt (state of facts) and Sachtext (factual text), and it figures in common idiomatic expressions related to matters and things in everyday speech.