ganZ

Ganz is a German word with several related uses. It primarily means “whole,” “entire,” or “complete,” and it can function as an adjective, an adverb, or as a prefix in compounds. The form is common in everyday speech as well as in written language, and it can convey emphasis or scope, as in phrases like das ganze Haus (the whole house) or ganz Europa (all of Europe). It can also intensify adjectives or adverbs, producing meanings such as ganz gut (quite good) or ganz schön (quite nice/pretty).

Pronunciation in standard German is [ɡants].

As a determiner or predeterminer, ganz precedes a noun to indicate the totality of its referent, often in combination with phrases like das ganze Jahr (the whole year) or das ganze Geld (all the money). As an adverb, it modifies adjectives, adverbs, or verbs to express completeness or degree, for example, das ist ganz neu (that is completely new) or ganz schön viel (quite a lot).

Ganz is also used in a number of compound forms. Common examples include ganzjährig (year-round) and ganzzahlig (integer-valued), the latter appearing in mathematics and computing as the term for an integer. In mathematics, ganzzahl refers to integers, and ganzzahlig describes quantities that take integer values.

In addition to its linguistic uses, Ganz is a surname and may appear in place names or cultural references. The word retains broad utility across different registers of German, from casual speech to technical language.