kunde

Kunde is a German noun that most commonly means a customer or client—someone who purchases goods or services. The masculine form is der Kunde and the feminine form is die Kundin; the plural is die Kunden (general) and die Kundinnen (feminine). In business and commerce, the term is used to denote customers as a group or individuals, and it appears in many compound nouns such as Kundenbeziehung (customer relationship), Kundenservice (customer service), Kundenbindung (customer loyalty), Neukunden (new customers), Bestandskunden (existing customers), and Kundenzufriedenheit (customer satisfaction).

In addition to the business sense, die Kunde is also an older meaning of “news” or “information.” While this sense is less common in everyday modern German, it appears in historical or formal contexts and reflects the broader linguistic connection between knowledge and information.

Kunde is also used as a surname in German-speaking regions, though it is relatively uncommon. In cross-linguistic contexts, the term is typically translated as customer or client, depending on the context.

The word occurs mainly in German-language material related to commerce, retail, and service industries, and it is widely understood in German-speaking countries and in international business communication. Its usage illustrates standard German word formation and the importance of the customer in economic activity. See also customer, client, consumer; and related German terms such as Kundendienst and Kundenzufriedenheit.