das  Korn

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/kɔʁn/

🌾 What does 'das Korn' mean?

The German word das Korn (noun, neuter) has several meanings:

• Grain/Kernel: The individual seed of a cereal plant (e.g., Weizenkorn - wheat grain, Roggenkorn - rye grain). Example: Das Huhn pickt ein Korn vom Boden auf. (The chicken picks up a grain from the ground.)
• Grain (as a collective noun, often plural): The entirety of harvested grains used for food production. Example: Der Bauer lagert das Korn in Silos. (The farmer stores the grain in silos.) / Die Körner werden zu Mehl gemahlen. (The grains are ground into flour.)
• Small particle/granule: A very small, solid particle of something. Example: Ein Sandkorn im Auge. (A grain of sand in the eye.) / Salzkörner auf der Brezel. (Grains of salt on the pretzel.)
• Photography/Optics (rarely just 'das Korn'): The graininess of photographic film or an image (usually referred to as 'das Filmkorn' or 'die Körnung').

🚨 Important Distinction: There is also der Korn (masculine). This refers to a specific German schnapps (grain spirit). Example: Er bestellt einen Korn an der Bar. (He orders a Korn at the bar.) This entry, however, focuses on das Korn (neuter).

🧐 Grammar of 'das Korn' in Detail

The noun 'das Korn' is neuter. Here is its declension:

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

📝 Example Sentences

• Nominative: Das Korn reift auf dem Feld. (The grain ripens in the field.)
• Genitive: Der Wert des Korns hängt von der Ernte ab. (The value of the grain depends on the harvest.)
• Dative: Mit dem Korn wird Brot gebacken. (Bread is baked with the grain.)
• Accusative: Der Vogel frisst das Korn. (The bird eats the grain.)
• Plural: Die Mühle mahlt die Körner zu feinem Mehl. (The mill grinds the grains into fine flour.)

💡 Using 'das Korn' in Context

• Agriculture & Food: Very common in contexts related to farming, harvest, bread, muesli, etc. Here, it can mean both the single kernel and the harvest as a whole (often in plural 'die Körner' for the harvest).
• Small Particles: Used to describe tiny particles (Sandkorn - grain of sand, Salzkorn - grain of salt, Staubkorn - speck of dust).
• Idioms:
  • Ein Körnchen Wahrheit: (lit. 'a little grain of truth') - A small element of truth in an otherwise perhaps false statement.
  • Etwas auf dem Korn haben: (lit. 'to have something on the grain/sight') - To have someone or something in one's sights, to target, to intend to criticize. (Originally refers to the front sight of a gun).
  • Gegen den Strich gehen / gegen den Strich bürsten: (lit. 'to go against the grain') - Here 'Korn' refers to the grain of wood, meaning to offer resistance or go against the usual way.
• Risk of Confusion: Be careful not to confuse 'das Korn' (grain, particle) with 'der Korn' (schnapps). Context is key!

🧠 Mnemonics for 'das Korn'

Article Mnemonic: Think of something neuter and essential, like das Brot (bread). Bread is made from grain. So: das Korn.

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine a tiny corn kernel (though 'corn' in English usually means Mais). It's a small, neutral thing (das). It can be a grain for food, or a grain of sand by the flood.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

😄 A Little Joke about Grain

German: Fragt der Bauer seinen Sohn: „Warum streust du denn das teure Vogelfutter auf den Acker?“
Sohn: „Na, damit das Korn schneller wächst!“

English: The farmer asks his son: "Why are you scattering that expensive birdseed on the field?"
Son: "Well, so that the grain (Korn) grows faster!"

📜 Poem about 'das Korn'

German:
Ein kleines Korn, im Feld versteckt,
von Sonne warm, von Tau bedeckt.
Wächst hoch hinaus, im Sommerwind,
\gibt Brot und Kraft für jedes Kind.
Ob Weizen, Roggen, Gerste fein,
das Korn muss nahrhaft sein.

English:
A little grain, hidden in the field,
Warm from the sun, by dew concealed.
Grows way up high, in summer breeze,
Gives bread and strength for kids with ease.
Be it wheat, or rye, or barley fine,
The grain must nourish, be divine.

❓ Riddle Time

German:
Ich bin ganz klein, doch nähr' die Welt,
lieg' oft zu tausenden im Feld.
Man mahlt mich fein zu Mehl geschwind,
damit ihr euer Brot dann find't.

Was bin ich?

English:
I am quite small, yet feed the world,
Often lie in fields, by thousands swirled.
I'm ground to flour, fine and fast,
So you can find your bread at last.

What am I? (Solution: das Korn / the grain)

🧩 Other Interesting Details

• Compound Words: The word 'Korn' is part of many compound German words, e.g.: das Weizenkorn (wheat grain), das Gerstenkorn (barleycorn/stye), das Sandkorn (grain of sand), die Kornblume (cornflower), das Visierkorn (front sight of a gun), der Kornspeicher (granary), die Körnerfresser (granivores/seed-eating birds), Vollkornbrot (whole grain bread).
• Etymology: The word 'Korn' has Germanic roots and is related to similar words in other Germanic languages (cf. English 'corn', Dutch 'koren'). It originally referred to small, hard seeds or particles.
• 'Jemanden aufs Korn nehmen': This idiom (lit. 'to take someone onto the grain/sight') comes from hunting/military language and refers to aiming at a target using the sights (Kimme und Korn) of a rifle.