German <Bildung> "shaping", "forming" as used in the international
phrase "Bildungsroman" can, as Torsten said, be roughly approximated
by "building", but it is not a cognate thereof, as Abdullah implied.
According to AHD, <Bildung> is from MHG <bildunge> from OHG
<bildunga> from <bilodi> "form", "shape".
From Buck's "Synonyms" "prob. der. of an adj. *bil- 'fitting,
becoming', seen also in 'billig' "cheap". Elsewhere Buck relates this
to various words in other languages including Greek <philos>, but if
there's a postulated I.-E. root, I haven't found it in the obvious
references.
Dan