How do you say “The birds and the bees” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is sexuelle Aufklärung, which literally means “sexual education”. English speakers use the birds and the bees to mean the basic facts about sex and reproduction. The straightforward German name for explaining sex and reproduction. It loses the English euphemism and joking tone. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
sexuelle Aufklärung
/zɛksuˈɛlə ˈaʊfklɛːʁʊŋ/
- Literal meaning
- “sexual education”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
84 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Sexuelle Aufklärung” names the subject directly. It can refer to a family conversation or to education at school.
A child may ask “Wie entstehen Babys?”, meaning “How are babies made?” The second example uses that direct question instead of the English euphemism.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
Dad felt awkward starting the birds-and-the-bees talk with us.
German
Papa war es unangenehm, mit uns das Gespräch über sexuelle Aufklärung zu beginnen.
English
Our daughter asked about the birds and the bees after seeing a pregnant neighbour.
German
Unsere Tochter fragte, wie Babys entstehen, nachdem sie eine schwangere Nachbarin gesehen hatte.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01