Karpfen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German karpfe, from Old High German karpho. The Central German form Karpe(n) was widespread in earlier modern German (well into the 19th century and well into Upper German territory). This may be a reason why the form has not been simplified to *Karfen, it being the only word in modern standard German in which -rpf- has not been simplified to -rf-. Further origin unsettled; compare English carp for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkarpfən/, [kaʁ.pfən], [kaɐ̯-], [kaː-], [-pfɱ̍], [-pɸm̩]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Noun

Karpfen m (strong, genitive Karpfens, plural Karpfen, diminutive Kärpfchen n or Kärpflein n)

1. carp

Usage notes

• The diminutive forms are attestable, but very rare.

Declension

Declension of Karpfen [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Karpfen	die	Karpfen
genitive	eines	des	Karpfens	der	Karpfen
dative	einem	dem	Karpfen	den	Karpfen
accusative	einen	den	Karpfen	die	Karpfen

Derived terms

• Graskarpfen
• Karpfenartige
• Karpfenfisch
• Karpfenteich
• Schuppenkarpfen

Further reading

• “Karpfen” in Duden online
• “Karpfen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache