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kennen
/ˈkɛnən/
to know
Ich kenne diesen Ort sehr gut.
I know this place very well.
general
to be familiar with a person, place, or thing through experience or knowledge
Kennst du den neuen Kollegen?
Do you know the new colleague?
Sie kennt die Stadt wie ihre Westentasche.
She knows the city like the back of her hand.
Used for acquaintance or familiarity, not for knowing facts (use wissen for facts).
Social
to meet someone for the first time
Ich möchte dich mit meiner Freundin bekannt machen. Wir haben uns gestern kennengelernt.
I want to introduce you to my girlfriend. We met yesterday.
Often used in the reflexive form (sich kennenlernen) to mean 'to get to know each other'.
Collocations
jemanden/etwas gut kennento know someone/something wellsich kennenlernento get to know each otherdie Stadt/den Weg kennento know the city/way
Synonyms
Antonyms
Pro Tip
Kennen vs. wissen
'Kennen' is for familiarity (people, places, things), while 'wissen' is for factual knowledge. Example: 'Ich kenne Berlin' (I know Berlin) vs. 'Ich weiß, dass Berlin die Hauptstadt ist.' (I know that Berlin is the capital).
Gold Rule
Usage in questions
In questions, 'kennen' often implies 'Are you familiar with...?' or 'Do you know...?' Example: 'Kennst du diesen Film?' = 'Are you familiar with this movie?'
Word Origin
From Middle High German kennen, from Old High German kennen, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (to know, recognize), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (to know). Related to English 'know' and Dutch 'kennen'.
Usage Notes
Kennen is used for familiarity with people, places, or things through direct experience. For factual knowledge, use wissen (e.g., 'Ich weiß, dass Berlin die Hauptstadt ist.' = 'I know that Berlin is the capital.').
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