adjective
curious, inquisitive
B1
'neugierig' is an adjective meaning 'curious' or 'inquisitive'. It's gradable: comparative 'neugieriger', superlative 'am neugierigsten'. Antonyms: 'gleichgültig', 'desinteressiert'. Often used with the preposition 'auf' plus accusative (neugierig auf etwas sein). Standard adjective declension. Can be neutral, positive or nosy in tone; common in spoken and written German.
Examples
Das Kind ist sehr neugierig und stellt viele Fragen.
The child is very curious and asks a lot of questions.
Die Kinder waren neugierig, weil der Künstler eine seltsame Maschine zeigte.
The children were curious because the artist showed a strange machine.
Ich bin neugierig, wie der Film endet.
I'm curious to see how the movie ends.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a child peeking around a corner with wide eyes labeled 'neugierig' to remember 'curious'
Sounds like 'new' + 'gurgle' to imagine someone making a new gurgling sound when curious
Notes
Commonly used to describe a person's interest or desire to know; neutral in tone.