Krabbe
/ˈkʁabə/feminine
The English word crab is Krabbe in German.
Krabbe is used to refer to the crustacean.
Meaning: crustacean (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Krabbe is a feminine noun, so the indefinite article used for a single crab is eine (e.g., eine Krabbe). The plural form of Krabbe is Krabben.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkʁabə/
Did you know?
- While Krabbe is common, Germans often use Krebs for crabs. This creates a linguistic overlap because Krebs is also the word for 'cancer' in German.
- If you are looking at a menu in Germany, be careful: a Krabben sandwich might actually contain tiny North Sea shrimp rather than large crab meat.
- The German verb krabbeln means to crawl or scuttle, just like the movement of a Krabbe.
Examples in context
- Das ist eine Krabbe.It's a crab.This sentence is useful for identifying a single crab.Tatoeba #12491608 by Waldelfe, translation #12069198 by CK
- Ich halte Krabben für eine große Delikatesse.I regard crab as a great delicacy.This sentence is useful for expressing that crab is considered a delicacy.Tatoeba #776229 by Manfredo, translation #253336 by CK
- Sobald ich wieder in Shanghai bin, brate ich mir ein leckere Mahlzeit aus Reisnudeln mit Krabbenfleisch.As soon as I'm back in Shanghai, I'll cook up a delicious meal of rice noodles with crab.This sentence is useful for describing a meal made with crab meat.Tatoeba #910882 by Sudajaengi, translation #5081614 by dax00
- Kannst du mir eine Krabbe zeigen?Can you show me a crab?
- Schau, das ist ein kleines Krebschen!Look, that's a little crab!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah are walking along the beach.
- JulianSchau mal, eine Krabbe im Sand!Look, a crab in the sand!
- SarahOh, die Krabbe ist sehr schnell.Oh, the crab is very fast.
- JulianSie läuft direkt ins Wasser.It is running straight into the water.
- SarahJulian, das war ein schöner Anblick.Julian, that was a nice sight to see.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crab” translations and entries Krabbe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Krabbe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
