Why does the noun Katze have the article die?

About 90% of nouns ending in -e are feminine.

Examples

die Lampe (lamp), die Schule (school), die Tasche (bag), die Klasse (class), die Straße (street), die Sonne (sun), die Blume (flower)

Exceptions

der Junge (boy), der Löwe (lion), der Affe (monkey), der Name (name), der Käse (cheese), das Ende (end), das Auge (eye)

Declension table for German noun Katze

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Katzeeine Katzekeine Katze
Akkusativdie Katzeeine Katzekeine Katze
Dativder Katzeeiner Katzekeiner Katze
Genitivder Katzeeiner Katzekeiner Katze

Examples in context

Real sentences using Katze in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die kleine Katze schläft.The small cat sleeps.
Eine liebe Katze miaut.A lovely cat meows.
Keine schwarze Katze ist hier.No black cat is here.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe die weiße Katze.I see the white cat.
Er hat eine neue Katze.He has a new cat.
Sie mag keine böse Katze.She doesn't like any evil cat.
Dativ
Ich gebe der netten Katze Futter.I give food to the nice cat.
Er spielt mit einer kleinen Katze.He plays with a small cat.
Sie hilft keiner verletzten Katze.She helps no injured cat.
Genitiv
Das Fell der schönen Katze ist weich.The fur of the beautiful cat is soft.
Die Farbe einer jungen Katze ist grau.The color of a young cat is gray.
Der Schwanz keiner wilden Katze ist kurz.The tail of no wild cat is short.

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Frequently asked questions

Everything you might wonder about der, die, das — and the Der Artikel app.

Is it der, die, or das Katze?

It is die Katze. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Katze is feminine. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.

What CEFR level is the word Katze?

The German noun Katze is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Katze?

The plural form of die Katze is die Katzen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”

What does die Katze mean in English?

The German word die Katze translates to “cat” in English.

How do you decline die Katze?

Like all German nouns, Katze changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
  • Nominativ: die Katze
  • Akkusativ: die Katze
  • Dativ: der Katze
  • Genitiv: der Katze

These changes are necessary because German uses cases to indicate the noun’s role in a sentence (such as the subject or object). Knowing these forms allows you to build grammatically correct sentences.