pigen

Pigen is the definite form of the Danish noun pige, which means a girl or a young woman. In contemporary Danish, pige refers to a female child or a young female, while kvinde is the common term for an adult woman. Pige is widely used in everyday speech and writing, and pigen is used when the girl in question is known or being talked about in a specific context.

Forms and grammar: The noun follows standard Danish definite suffix rules. Indefinite singular: en pige (a girl); definite singular: pigen (the girl). Indefinite plural: piger (girls); definite plural: pigerne (the girls). The definite form is created by attaching the suffix -en to the base stem, a common pattern for masculine and feminine common-gender nouns in Danish.

Etymology and cognates: Pige belongs to the Germanic family of languages and has cognates in related Nordic languages. The definite form -en is a typical Danish suffix used to mark the definite singular for many common-gender nouns. While the exact historical line of transmission varies by language, the core meaning “girl” and the definite formation are shared features across Danish and its Scandinavian relatives.

Usage notes: Pigen is neutral and routine in most contexts, from family conversation to school and media. Because it commonly denotes youth, it is less appropriate for referring to adult women in formal contexts, where kvinde or other terms would be preferred. The word can appear in a variety of phrases, such as descriptions of children, conversations about friends, or literary scenes featuring young female characters.