noun
homesickness
B1
Heimweh means 'homesickness' or 'nostalgia' (colloq. 'morriña' in Spanish). It is a neuter, uncountable noun with no plural form. Common collocation: 'Heimweh haben' to express longing for home or hometown. It typically takes 'nach' with the missing place. Genitive: des Heimwehs.
Examples
Nach drei Monaten im Ausland bekam sie Heimweh.
After three months abroad she began to feel homesick.
Wenn man lange von zu Hause weg ist, bekommt man manchmal Heimweh.
When you are away from home for a long time, you sometimes get homesick.
Als die Studentin im Ausland war, hatte sie Heimweh, weil die Familientraditionen und Freunde fehlten.
When the student was abroad, she felt homesick because the family traditions and friends were missing.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a suitcase with a small sad heart sticker to represent longing for home.
Sounds like 'home-way' — a way back to home, i.e., longing for home.
das (neuter) — imagine 'das Haus' (a house) as a neutral object connected to home.
Notes
Often uncountable in German; commonly used without a plural. Expresses the feeling of missing home. | Mass noun/singular-only; plural declension forms are not applicable.