kaum
German, adverb/kaʊ̯m/
kaum is spelled K-A-U-M (4 letters) and appears 234 times per million words in written German, the 379th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Kaum is a German adverb meaning “barely, hardly (qualifying verbs or adjectives)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “nur zu einem sehr geringen Grad; so gut wie gar nicht”.
What does kaum mean in English?
adverb
- 1
barely, hardly (qualifying verbs or adjectives)
Ich kann das kaum lesen.
- 2
barely any, almost no (qualifying amounts)
Wir haben kaum noch Geld.
- 3
difficult, nearly impossible
Das ist kaum zu glauben.
- 4
as soon as, immediately after
Kaum bin ich mit einer Sache fertig, da habe schon ich das nächste Problem am Hals.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. nur zu einem sehr geringen Grad; so gut wie gar nicht 2. nur mit Anstrengung möglich 3. zeitlich in geringem Maße abweichend
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce kaum?
- /kaʊ̯m/
- [kʰaʊ̯m]
- [kaʊ̯m]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to kaum
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is kaum in German?
kaum appears 234 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).