"Kind" is neuter in German — the correct article is das. The plural is die Kinder. In English, Kind means "child"."Das Kind" is one of the most essential A1 vocabulary words in German. It means "child" and refers to any child regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl — unlike der Junge (boy) or das Mädchen (girl), which are gender-specific. Below you'll find the full declension, example sentences, and a quiz. For more family vocabulary, check out the A1 Family Words list.
Gender rule: Young humans and animals are typically neuter in German (das Kind, das Baby, das Lamm). This is one of the reliable neuter categories. See all patterns in the German Article Rules.
Kind — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Genitive | des Kindes | der Kinder |
| Dative | dem Kind | den Kindern |
| Accusative | das Kind | die Kinder |
Example Sentences with Kind
Das Kind spielt auf dem Spielplatz.
(The child is playing on the playground.) — Nominative
Ich sehe das Kind jeden Morgen im Bus.
(I see the child every morning on the bus.) — Accusative
Die Mutter gibt dem Kind ein Stück Kuchen.
(The mother gives the child a piece of cake.) — Dative
Das Spielzeug des Kindes liegt auf dem Boden.
(The child's toy is lying on the floor.) — Genitive
Die Kinder rennen durch den Garten.
(The children are running through the garden.) — Nominative Plural
Der Lehrer hat den Kindern eine Geschichte vorgelesen.
(The teacher read a story to the children.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie): kindlich (childlike — adjective), kindisch (childish — adjective, negative), die Kindheit (childhood), die Kinderei (childish behavior)
Common compounds (Komposita): das Einzelkind (only child), das Kleinkind (toddler), das Schulkind (school child), das Enkelkind (grandchild), das Kinderzimmer (children's room), der Kindergarten (kindergarten)
Common Mistake with Kind
❌ Common mistake: Er hat den Kindern geholfen. → correct, but: Er hat den Kinder geholfen.
✅ Correct: Er hat den Kindern geholfen.
💡 Why: In the dative plural, nouns must add -n if the plural form doesn't already end in -n or -s. Since the plural is die Kinder (not ending in -n), it becomes den Kindern in the dative. This rule applies to most German nouns.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. ___ Kind schläft schon.
- A) Der
- B) Die
- C) Das
Check Answer
"Das Kind" — Young humans are typically neuter in German. In the nominative, the article is das.
2. Die Lehrerin erklärt ___ Kind die Aufgabe.
- A) das
- B) dem
- C) den
Check Answer
"Erklären" requires a dative object (to whom?). Neuter nouns use dem in the dative: dem Kind.
3. Die klein___ Kinder spielen draußen.
- A) -e
- B) -er
- C) -en
Check Answer
After a definite article in the nominative plural, the adjective ending is always -en: die kleinen Kinder, die großen Männer, die schönen Frauen.
Want to practice more nouns like this? The Article Trainer has 600+ nouns — including family vocabulary and all common neuter nouns.
More People & Family Nouns
- das Mädchen — the girl
- der Junge — the boy
- das Baby — the baby
- der Vater — the father
- die Mutter — the mother
- der Sohn — the son
- die Tochter — the daughter
- die Familie — the family
For more A1 vocabulary, explore the full vocabulary overview or test yourself with the vocabulary quizzes.
Is it der, die, or das Kind? Practice makes perfect.
The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to drill — including family vocabulary and common neuter nouns. Pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
Practice German Articles →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kind masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Kind is neuter — the correct article is das. Young humans and animals are typically neuter in German (das Kind, das Baby, das Lamm). This has nothing to do with the actual gender of the child — it's a grammatical rule.
What is the plural of Kind?
The plural is die Kinder. In the dative plural, it becomes den Kindern (with an extra -n). The -er plural ending is common for short, one-syllable neuter nouns: das Bild → die Bilder, das Lied → die Lieder.
What is the difference between Kind, Junge, and Mädchen?
Das Kind means "child" and is gender-neutral — it can refer to a boy or a girl. Der Junge means "boy" specifically, and das Mädchen means "girl." Note that all three have different grammatical genders: das Kind (neuter), der Junge (masculine), das Mädchen (neuter — because of the -chen suffix).
What does Kindergarten mean in German?
"Kindergarten" literally translates to "children's garden" — Kinder (children) + Garten (garden). It's one of the most famous German loanwords in English. In German, it's der Kindergarten (masculine, because the last word "Garten" is masculine).
