German Abbreviations (R-T)
Deutsche Abkürzungen
German Abbreviations from Abb. to z.Z.
GENERAL ABBREVIATIONS
German - English
The following abbreviations are commonly found in German reading (books, letters, periodicals, business documents, etc.) and sometimes in conversation. In most cases, this glossary does not include German abbreviations that are identical or similar to English abbreviations (e.g., BMW, BSE, VHS, VW, etc.), although the German pronunciation may be different. (Audio files of some of these can be found on our Abc-Quiz page.) For other types of abbreviations and acronyms in German, also see the other pages and links below.
ALSO SEE:
• Countries & Nationalities
• 'MfG' Abbreviations
• Political Party Abbreviations
• Real Estate Ad Abbreviations
• Das Alphabet
A-C | D-F | G-J | K-M | N-Q | R-T | U-Z
| Abkürzung | German | English |
| R | ||
| r. | rechts | right |
| RA | Rechtsanwalt | attorney, lawyer, barrister |
| RAF | Rote Armee Fraktion | Red Army Faction, a German leftist terrorist organization of the 1970s |
| RBB | Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg | Radio Berlin-Brandenburg RBB Online |
| Reg.-Bez. | Regierungbezirk | admin. district |
| R-Gespräch | Retour-Gespräch | collect call, reverse-charge call |
| RIAS | Rundfunk im amer. Sektor | Radio in the American Sector |
| Note: During the Cold War, RIAS was Berlin's most popular radio station. Operated by the U.S. Army in Germany, RIAS and RIAS 2 went out of business at the end of 1993. RIAS 2 became r.s.2 - just another part of Sender Freies Berlin (SFB, now RBB). Read about the history of RIAS in English and in German. | ||
| r.k., r.-k. | römisch-katholisch | RC, Roman Catholic |
| röm. | römisch | Roman (adj.) |
| röm.-kath. | römisch-katholisch | Roman Catholic |
| RTL | RTL | RTL - European radio and TV network |
| Note: An amazing outgrowth of the old Radio Luxembourg that once broadcast commercial radio across the border into Germany, today's RTL is a huge media empire with radio and TV stations in Germany and other European countries. If you read German, see the RTL Chronik site for a history of the old Radio Luxembourg days - and a trip down memory lane for those of us who once listened to "der fröhliche Wecker" morning show. | ||
| S | ||
| S | Süden | south |
| S | S-Bahn | commuter rail line, metro |
| S. | Seite | p., page |
| s. | sich | oneself, yourself (with refl. verbs) |
| s.a. | siehe auch | also see |
| Sa. | Samstag | Saturday |
| SB | Selbstbedienung | self-service |
| Note: An SB-Laden is a self-service store. You will also see the SB sign at self-serve gas/petrol stations (SB-Tankstelle). | ||
| SBB | Schweizerische Bundesbahnen | Swiss Federal Railways |
| schles. | schlesisch | Silesian (adj.) |
| schwäb. | schwäbisch | Swabian (adj.) |
| schweiz. | schweizerisch | Swiss (adj.) |
| SED | Sozialistiche Einheitspartei | Socialist Unity Party, former East German political party (see PDS) |
| s.o. | siehe oben | see above |
| So. | Sonntag | Sunday |
| sog. | so genannt | so-called |
| SR | Saarlädischer Rundfunk | Radio Saarland |
| SSO | Südsüdost | south southeast |
| SSV | Sommerschlussverkauf | end-of-summer sale |
| SSW | Südsüdwest | south southwest |
| St. | Sankt | saint |
| St. | Stück | (per) piece |
| StGB | Strafgesetzbuch | Ger. penal code |
| Str. | Straße | street, road |
| StR. | Studienrat | tenured teacher |
| Note: See our Education and School Glossary for more. | ||
| StVO | Straßenverkehrsordnung | Ger. traffic laws & regulations |
| s.u. | siehe unten | see below |
| südd. | süddeutsch | southern German |
| SW | Südwest(en) | southwest |
| SWR | Südwestrundfunk | Southwest Radio & TV (Baden-Württemberg) |
| T | ||
| tägl. | täglich | daily, per day |
| Tb/Tbc | Tuberkulose | tuberculosis |
| TH | Technische Hochschule | technical college, institute of technology |
| TU | Technische Universität | technical institute, univ. |
| TÜV | Technische Überwachungsverein | German UL lab, MOT (Br.) |
| Note: The German TÜV is responsible for product safety. German motorists must submit their cars to a "tuef inspection." Failing a TÜV inspection can mean having no car to drive. More: Driving in Germany. | ||
More German Abbreviations
N-Q < ZURÜCK - WEITER > U-Z
Related Pages
Countries & Nationalities
An annotated glossary with the international abbreviation for each country.
Political Party Abbreviations
In Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
Real Estate Ad Abbreviations
An annotated German-English glossary of abbreviations found in ads for housing.
German for Beginners - Contents
English-German Glossaries
All of the annotated glossaries on this site - from aerospace to travel.
German Grammar
All of the grammar resources on this site.
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