In the compound word Kindergarten, what do Kinder and Garten mean?

• A. Child / Garden
• B. Child / Yard
• C. Boy / Garden
• D. Child / Playground

Answer: (A)

Understanding how German compound words are built helps you decode Kindergarten. Kinder means children, and Garten means garden. When you put them together, the idea is a garden for children—often thought of as a place for children to learn and play. The option that best matches this is the one that pairs the two roots as child (representing Kinder) and garden (representing Garten). The literal sense is “children’s garden,” though the choice uses singular form for the first part to reflect the root meaning. The other options mislabel either the second part as yard or playground, or the first part as a boy, so they don’t fit the components as accurately.