jüdisch

Jüdisch is the German adjective meaning "Jewish." It describes people who identify with Judaism, religious practices, culture, or things associated with Jewish life. The related noun forms include das Judentum (Judaism) and der Jude / die Juden (a Jew and Jews), while die Jüdin / die Jüdinnen is the feminine form for a Jewish woman. The word derives from Jude, from Latin Iudaeus or Greek Ioudaios, and is affixed with the suffix -isch to mean "pertaining to" or "characteristic of."

Usage and connotations: jüdisch covers a broad range—from religious observance (jüdische Religion, jüdische Feiertage) and religious law to cultural expressions (jüdische Küche, jüdische Musik) and ethnic or cultural identity. In German-language discourse, it is generally neutral. Historical contexts, especially under Nazi rule, show how terms for Jewish groups could be invoked within racial ideology; modern usage tends to distinguish religion, culture, and ethnicity and emphasizes diversity among Jews, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, secular, and diaspora communities.

Relation to related terms: Jiddisch refers to Yiddish, the historical language of many Ashkenazi Jews, distinct from but often linked to jüdisch topics. The adjectival form jüdisch coexists with the nouns Judentum, Jude/Juden, and Jüdin/Jüdinnen, enabling precise descriptions in encyclopedic writing. The term remains a standard descriptor in educational and scholarly contexts for topics connected with Judaism and Jewish life.