# Why are German subs referred to as u-boats in English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178 "2026-03-04T03:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/1 "2026-03-04T03:31:18Z")
US had subs. UK had subs. France has subs. Italy has subs. Japan has subs. Soviet Union has subs. And lots more, but. . . Germany has ‘u-boats.’ ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/2 "2026-03-04T03:33:01Z")
It’s a literal translation of the German term, “Unterseeboot”. Still in use by the German Navy today, in fact. > **[U-boat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-boat)** > > U-boats are naval submarines operated by Germany, especially during World War I and World War II. The term is an anglicized form of the German word U-Boot \[ˈuːboːt\] ⓘ, a shortening of Unterseeboot (lit. 'under-sea boat'). Austro-Hungarian Navy submarines were also known as U-boats. > U-boats are especially known for their use in unrestricted submarine warfare in both world wars, attempting to disrupt merchant traffic towards the UK and force the UK out of the war. In World War I, Germany intermi... ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/3 "2026-03-04T04:06:17Z")
Why do we use the German term, instead of English? Good question. My theory is that it has something to do with “us-versus-them”. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/4 "2026-03-04T04:16:15Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Why do we use the German term, instead of English? Good question. Seems logically because, since the Allies had submarines, too, “U-boat” was a concise way of saying “German submarine”. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/5 "2026-03-04T04:16:54Z")
Submarines had existed for many years, but they became common national menaces in WWI. The term u-boat is hardly found before then. Some sources date it to 1915, and a few to 1914. But why the German term? Probably because it sounded foreign and dangerous. Sub was a friendlier shortening and widely used in the boating community. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/6 "2026-03-04T04:49:42Z")
Its a trait of English (and maybe other languages) to adopt enemy terms to describe their war weaponry. British English is littered with borrowings from its enemies - from assegai to khaki to karzi (I wanted zambuk but its origins are uncertain). A British person hunkered down in the Blitz would have been very familiar with u-boats, panzers, flak and other terms. I suspect it comes from a desire for specificity and unambiguity in conversations, it replaces an otherwise necessary adjective to identify whether it is a friendly or enemy sub. More psychologically, when people are threatened and in extremis, they often use more specific terms or medical jargon as a way of making themselves feel more in control and being across the situation than they actually are. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/7 "2026-03-04T13:16:33Z")
Isn’t it just sort of normal German ideom? Like they have U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/8 "2026-03-04T14:11:19Z")
It’s clear enough that u-boat comes from German. And hence becomes an easy way to say “German (enemy) submarine” during the war and “German (allied) submarine” now. That’s not the confusing part. One of the Japanese words for “submarine” is “sensuikan”. How come during WWII we called Japanese submarines “Japanese submarines” and not “sensuikan”? Same question for cold war Soviet machines whose Russian term is Подводная лодка – pronounced as “podvodnaya lodka”. That, IMO, is the question the OP is asking. To which I answer that in the leadup to WW-II (and WW-I) lots of Americans and Brits had some passing familiarity with German. Which made borrowing German words a much lighter lift than borrowing e.g. Japanese words. The fact that “unterseeboot” is pretty easy to decode into English versus the very not-obvious Japanese or Russian terms makes it even easier. ---
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/9 "2026-03-04T14:40:54Z")
In Norway, and i beleive in all the scandinavian countries, we use Ubåt (U-boat) officially, Underwater boat in other words (Undervannsbåt). Nobody say the long whole word, not even the military, at least here in Norway, but i beleive swedes and other nordic counties use the same term (Other scandies can correct me if im wrong) ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/10 "2026-03-04T14:48:42Z")
Add to that the fact that “U-boat” is easy for English speakers to remember and pronounce, while the Japanese or Russian terms probably seemed more challenging. Edit: I guess that’s basically just what you already said, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/11 "2026-03-04T14:53:45Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Edit: I guess that’s basically just what you already said, isn’t it? Yup. But you said it much more succinctly. Which is good. I’m too wordy. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/12 "2026-03-04T14:53:59Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > U-boat” is easy for English speakers to remember and pronounce Yep, and so is ‘sub.’ I’ll buy it’s probably just an ‘us vs. them’ thing. Similarly in English we use ‘cosmonauts’ and ‘taikonauts,’ where ‘astronaut’ would be good enough. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/13 "2026-03-04T15:13:13Z")
C.f. the other thread today about confusing code names for planes. NATO came up with Akula for Russia’s speedy attack sub, and Typhoon for their huge nuke sub. The problem is that the Russians had officially named the _latter_ Akula. [I go to Wikipedia to confirm the cite, and their lead article is on the canceled Montana-class super battleships…] ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/14 "2026-03-04T15:16:59Z")
In WWI, the Germans were the first to really exploit the submarine’s effectiveness as a terror weapon targeting civilians so it couldn’t be called the same thing as what the “good guys” were using. It needed a scary techno-monster name, and the native German term fit the bill. Decades later, the Japanese mostly used their subs against the same legit military targets other warships did so they didn’t get a scary name. The closest was the sneaky “mini-sub”. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/15 "2026-03-04T15:38:09Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Seems logically because, since the Allies had submarines, too, “U-boat” was a concise way of saying “German submarine”. U-boat were the evil sneaky bastards trying to starve England into surrender, while submarines were the heroic front-line forces trying to starve Japan into surrender. Really, it’s about branding. I remember a Canadian General in Yugoslavia during the 90s, who told one of his troops (on camera), “_We_ don’t have snipers, _they_ have snipers. _We_ have sharp-shooters!” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/16 "2026-03-04T15:48:19Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > > [@MrAtoz](#): > > > > U-boat” is easy for English speakers to remember and pronounce > > Yep, and so is ‘sub.’ The one was used for enemy submarines, the other for ours. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/17 "2026-03-04T15:53:49Z")
I think the point is that only _German_ enemy subs got a special name. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/18 "2026-03-04T15:56:21Z")
Exactly - sinister foreigners (and fitting neatly into newspaper headlines) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/19 "2026-03-04T15:58:22Z")
“Sub” is generic. Using a different term for the German version would eliminate any misunderstandings in briefings and communications or having to use “German” as a modifier. “There’s a sub behind us!” “Is it German or American?” “I think it’sBOOM!” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178/20 "2026-03-04T16:06:03Z")
And by extension, by the time you exclaim, “Captain, Unterseeboot, starboard bow,” they’ve already slammed two torpedoes into your side. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-subs-referred-to-as-u-boats-in-english/1028178.md?page=2)