klein
German, adjective/klaɪ̯n/
klein is spelled K-L-E-I-N (5 letters) and appears 87 times per million words in written German, the 999th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Klein is a German adjective meaning “small, little, wee (in physical size or extent)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “von geringem Ausmaß”.
What does klein mean in English?
adjective
- 1
small, little, wee (in physical size or extent)
- 2
small, little, young (not grown up)
- 3
insignificant (of little influence or means; of people)
der kleine Mann
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. von geringem Ausmaß 2. unbedeutend 3. als Kleinbuchstabe, in Kleinbuchstaben oder mit kleinem Anfangsbuchstaben 4. jung
noun: 1. weniger begehrte Fleischstücke von Geflügel oder bestimmten Schlachttieren (Innereien, Hals, Kopf, Flügel)
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of klein
- kleiner masculine nominative singular
- am kleinsten superlative
- kleine feminine nominative singular
- kleines neuter nominative singular
- kleinen genitive masculine singular
- kleinem dative masculine singular
- der kleine definite includes-article masculine
- die kleine definite feminine includes-article
- das kleine definite includes-article neuter
- die kleinen definite includes-article nominative
- des kleinen definite genitive includes-article
- der kleinen definite feminine genitive
- dem kleinen dative definite includes-article
- Kleins genitive singular
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce klein?
- /klaɪ̯n/
- [klaɪ̯n]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to klein
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is klein in German?
klein appears 87 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).