der  Kilometer

📏 What exactly is a Kilometer?

Der Kilometer (abbreviation: km) is a unit of length in the metric system. It equals 1000 meters (Meter). It's an internationally used unit for measuring distances, for example, between places or when stating speeds (Kilometer pro Stunde - kilometers per hour).

Since 'Meter' is masculine (der Meter), the units derived from it, such as der Kilometer, der Zentimeter (centimeter), and der Millimeter (millimeter), are also masculine.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📜 Grammar of 'der Kilometer'

The noun 'Kilometer' is masculine. Here are the declension tables:

Example Sentences

• Die nächste Stadt ist noch zehn Kilometer entfernt.
  (The next town is still ten kilometers away.)
• Der Tacho zeigt 120 Kilometer pro Stunde.
  (The speedometer shows 120 kilometers per hour.)
• Für jeden gelaufenen Kilometer gab es eine Spende.
  (There was a donation for every kilometer run.)
• Die Länge des Flusses beträgt mehrere tausend Kilometer.
  (The length of the river is several thousand kilometers.)

🗺️ How to use Kilometer?

Der Kilometer is primarily used to indicate distances:

• Geographical distances: Distance between cities, countries, or the length of rivers and roads (e.g., Von Berlin nach München sind es etwa 600 Kilometer. - It's about 600 kilometers from Berlin to Munich.).
• Sports: Running distances, cycling tours (e.g., Sie ist einen Marathon über 42 Kilometer gelaufen. - She ran a marathon of 42 kilometers.).
• Traffic: Speed indications (km/h), vehicle range, mileage (e.g., Das Auto hat schon 150.000 Kilometer auf dem Tacho. - The car already has 150,000 kilometers on the odometer.).

Usage Note: In the plural, the form often remains unchanged when a number directly precedes it (e.g., fünf Kilometer - five kilometers). However, if the plural is used without a number or after words like 'viele' (many), 'einige' (some), etc., the dative form 'Kilometern' is used (e.g., Nach vielen Kilometern erreichten sie das Ziel. - After many kilometers, they reached the goal.).

🧠 Mnemonics

Article Mnemonic: Think of der Meter. Since Kilometer is derived from Meter, it keeps the masculine article: der Kilometer.

Meaning Mnemonic: 'Kilo' comes from Greek and means 'thousand'. So, a Kilometer is simply thousand meters long. Think 'Kilo' for 'a thousand'.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

😄 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen Schnecken keine Autobahnen?

Weil sie Angst vor den vielen Kilometern haben! 😂

(Why don't snails take highways? Because they're afraid of all the kilometers!)

📜 A Little Poem

Der Kilometer, lang und weit,
Misst die Strecke, misst die Zeit,
Die wir fahren, laufen, geh'n,
Um die weite Welt zu seh'n.
Tausend Meter, Schritt für Schritt,
Nimmt uns auf die Reise mit.

(The kilometer, long and wide,
Measures the distance, measures the time,
That we drive, run, walk,
To see the wide world.
A thousand meters, step by step,
Takes us along on the trip.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich messe die Reise von Ort zu Ort,
Bin tausendmal länger als ein Meter vor Ort.
Auf Straßenschildern steh' ich oft,
Was bin ich, wenn man auf Distanz hofft?

(I measure the journey from place to place,
I'm a thousand times longer than a meter in this space.
On road signs, I often stand,
What am I, across the land?)

Solution: Der Kilometer

💡 More to Know

Word Composition:

• Kilo-: Prefix from Greek (χίλιοι - chilioi) meaning 'thousand'.
• -meter: Suffix from Greek (μέτρον - metron) meaning 'measure'.

History: The Kilometer, along with the Meter, was introduced during the French Revolution as part of the metric system to standardize units of measurement.