die Katze
cat
Die Katze (the cat) is feminine and takes die. The plural is die Katzen, formed by adding -n. Like almost every German noun ending in -e, it is feminine, which makes the gender predictable for once.
German distinguishes male and female cats more sharply than English does. Der Kater is a tomcat, and unlike Katze it is masculine. Katze covers cats in general as well as female cats specifically, so if you do not know or do not care about the animal's sex, Katze is the safe choice. A kitten is das Kätzchen, and because diminutives ending in -chen are always neuter, it takes das.
Watch out for a second meaning of Kater: it also means "hangover". Ich habe einen Kater means "I have a hangover", not "I have a tomcat". Context normally makes it obvious, but the overlap is a favorite joke among learners.
Fixed phrases are common. Die Katze im Sack kaufen means to buy something without checking it first, literally "to buy the cat in the bag". Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen is the same image as "to let the cat out of the bag". Für die Katz means "for nothing", as in wasted effort.
Pronunciation: Katze has two syllables, [ˈkatsə]. The tz makes a "ts" sound like in English "cats", and the final -e is a soft "uh", never silent the way an English final "e" is.
Article / Gender
English
cat
Singular
die Katze
Plural
die Katzen
die Katze appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Die Katze schläft auf dem Sofa.
The cat sleeps on the sofa.
Subject first, verb in position 2.
Ich sehe die Katze im Garten.
I see the cat in the garden.
Accusative object after the verb.
Die Katzen trinken Wasser.
The cats drink water.
Plural subject with verb in position 2.
- What does Katze mean in German?
- Katze means "cat". It is a feminine noun and takes die: die Katze.
- What is the plural of Katze?
- The plural is die Katzen, formed by adding -n. Drei Katzen means "three cats".
- What is the difference between Katze and Kater?
- Die Katze is a cat in general, and also a female cat specifically. Der Kater is a male cat, and it is masculine. Der Kater also means "hangover".
- Is Katze masculine, feminine, or neuter?
- Katze is feminine and takes die. German nouns ending in -e are feminine in the large majority of cases, so the gender here is predictable.
- How do you pronounce Katze?
- Katze is pronounced [ˈkatsə], roughly "KAT-suh". The tz is a "ts" sound as in English "cats", and the final -e is pronounced as a soft "uh".