das Kind
child
Das Kind (the child) is neuter and takes das. The plural is die Kinder, formed by adding -er. That plural is one you already half know, because English borrowed it whole in the word "kindergarten", which in German is der Kindergarten, literally a garden for children.
The word covers a wider age range than English "child" sometimes does. Germans use Kind for anyone from a baby up to roughly the teenage years, and parents keep using it about their own children at any age: meine Kinder sind erwachsen (my children are grown up).
Two adjectives come from Kind and they mean opposite things in tone. Kindlich means childlike and is positive or neutral, describing innocence or wonder. Kindisch means childish and is an insult, describing an adult behaving immaturely. Mixing them up changes a compliment into a criticism, so the distinction is worth fixing early.
Common compounds include das Kinderzimmer (children's room), die Kindheit (childhood), das Enkelkind (grandchild), and der Kinderwagen (pram or stroller). Note that most of these use the plural stem Kinder- rather than Kind-.
Pronunciation: Kind is one syllable, [kɪnt]. The final d is pronounced as a "t", which happens to every d at the end of a German word. In the plural Kinder, the d sits between vowels and returns to a normal "d" sound, giving [ˈkɪndɐ].
Article / Gender
English
child
Singular
das Kind
Plural
die Kinder
das Kind appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Das Kind spielt im Garten.
The child plays in the garden.
Subject first, verb in position 2.
Ich sehe das Kind im Park.
I see the child in the park.
Direct object uses the accusative case.
Das Kind ist müde.
The child is tired.
Predicative adjective follows the verb.
- What does Kind mean in German?
- Kind means "child". It is a neuter noun and takes das as its definite article: das Kind.
- What is the plural of Kind?
- The plural is die Kinder, formed by adding -er. English speakers already know it from the borrowed word "kindergarten".
- Is Kind masculine, feminine, or neuter?
- Kind is neuter, so it takes das. This is true regardless of whether the child is a boy or a girl, because grammatical gender in German does not always follow biological gender.
- What is the difference between kindlich and kindisch?
- Kindlich means childlike and is positive, describing innocence or curiosity. Kindisch means childish and is negative, describing an adult who is acting immaturely.
- How do you pronounce Kind?
- Kind is one syllable, pronounced [kɪnt]. The final d sounds like a "t" because German hardens consonants at the end of a word. In the plural Kinder the "d" sound comes back.