Kafka

Kaf·ka
K5A1F4K5A1
UK/ˈkæfkə/US/ˈkɑfkɑ/US/ˈkɑfkə/

proper noun

A surname from German.

OriginGerman Kafka ← Proto-Slavic *kavъka →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A surname from German.
  2. Franz Kafka (1883–1924), a German-language writer from Prague.

Origin

  1. Proto-Slavic*kàva
  2. Proto-Slavic*kavъka
  3. GermanKavka
  4. GermanKafka
  5. EnglishKafka

From German Kafka, from Czech German Kavka (“jackdaw”), from either Upper Sorbian or Lower Sorbian, which are ultimately from the Proto-Slavic *kavъka, imitating the call of a jackdaw. Compare Polish kawka, Czech kavka, Slovene kávka, all meaning “jackdaw”.

More words from German, Proto-Slavic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian Ка́фка
  • Ка́фка (Káfka)surname
Chinese Mandarin 卡夫卡
  • 卡夫卡 (Kǎfūkǎ)surname
Russian Ка́фка
  • Ка́фка (Káfka)surname
Yiddish קאַפֿקאַ
  • קאַפֿקאַ (kafka)surname
Cite this entry
APA

Kafka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kafka

MLA

“Kafka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kafka. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kafka,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kafka.

Source: Kafka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.