Příď kajaku je ve vodě.

Because kajaku is the genitive singular form of kajak.

In Czech, possession is often shown with the genitive case rather than with a separate word like of. So:

• příď kajaku = the bow of the kayak

This is a very common pattern:

• střecha domu = the roof of the house
• dveře auta = the door of the car
• příď kajaku = the bow of the kayak

So kajak changes to kajaku because it depends on příď.

Vodě is locative singular.

It is used because of the preposition v / ve, which means in when talking about location. After v / ve in this meaning, Czech normally uses the locative:

• v domě = in the house
• v autě = in the car
• ve vodě = in the water

So:

• voda = water
• ve vodě = in the water

Czech uses ve instead of v before some words to make pronunciation easier.

Since v vodě would put two awkward v sounds next to each other, Czech prefers:

• ve vodě

This is similar to other common combinations:

• ve škole = in the school
• ve městě = in the city
• ve středu = on Wednesday / in the middle

So ve is just a pronunciation-friendly variant of v.

Je is the 3rd person singular form of být (to be), meaning is.

So the structure is:

• Příď kajaku = the bow of the kayak
• je = is
• ve vodě = in the water

Together:

• Příď kajaku je ve vodě. = The bow of the kayak is in the water.

Unlike in some languages, in normal standard Czech you usually do need this verb in a sentence like this.

Příď is feminine.

In Czech, gender is not determined only by the ending -a. Many feminine nouns end in a consonant, especially with -ť, -ď, -ň, -c, -s, -z and similar patterns.

You can think of it as:

• ta příď = that bow/prow

That tells you it is feminine.

Roughly:

• pří- has a long í
• ř is the famous Czech sound, something like a mix of r and zh
• final ď is a soft d, pronounced with the tongue closer to the palate

A rough learner-friendly approximation might be:

• przheed’

But that is only approximate. The hardest parts are:

• ř
• the soft final ď

Also note that í is long, so příď is not pronounced like a short i.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Příď kajaku je ve vodě.

But you could also hear:

• Ve vodě je příď kajaku.

That might put a little more focus on where it is.

In Czech, word order often changes the focus or emphasis, not just the basic meaning.

Czech has no articles like a or the.

So:

• příď can mean a bow or the bow
• kajaku can mean of a kayak or of the kayak
• ve vodě can mean in water or in the water

You understand the exact meaning from context.

That is very normal in Czech.

The dictionary form is voda.

This is how the forms work here:

• voda = water
• ve vodě = in the water

So when you look words up, you should search for voda, not vodě.

Yes, that is the literal structure.

Czech often expresses possession by putting two nouns together, where the second one is in the genitive:

• příď kajaku = bow of the kayak
• motor auta = engine of the car
• okno domu = window of the house

In natural English, you might translate this as either:

• the bow of the kayak
• the kayak’s bow

Both match the Czech structure well.