Kristall
/kʁɪsˈtal/masculine
The German word for crystal is Kristall.
The word Kristall refers to a mineral.
Meaning: mineral (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of Kristall is Kristalle. If you want to say "of the crystal" (the genitive singular), use Kristalls. When using the word as an adjective to describe something as being crystal clear, the form kristallklar is used.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁɪsˈtal/
Did you know?
- The German word Kristall shares its distant roots with the word for 'ice', because the Ancient Greeks believed that clear crystals were actually pieces of ice that had frozen so hard they would never melt.
- In German, the word Kristall is a masculine noun, which means you must use the masculine article der when referring to a single crystal.
- The pronunciation of the 'i' in Kristall is a short, sharp sound. This is much more clipped and precise than the more relaxed, unstressed vowel sound found in the English word 'crystal'.
Examples in context
- Das Wasser ist kristallklar.The water is crystal clear.This sentence shows how to use the adjective related to Kristall to describe water.Tatoeba #6855761 by Esperantostern, translation #7785629 by Hybrid
- Ich habe keine Kristallkugel.I don't have a crystal ball.This sentence demonstrates the use of Kristall in the phrase for crystal ball.Tatoeba #6981126 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6472126 by Hybrid
- Maria sah in ihre Kristallkugel.Mary looked into her crystal ball.This sentence shows how to use Kristall when referring to looking into a crystal ball.Tatoeba #5319146 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5318472 by Hybrid
- Der Kristall schimmerte im Sonnenlicht.The crystal shimmered in the sunlight.
- Ich habe einen schönen Amethysten aus dem Steinbruch mitgebracht.I brought a beautiful amethyst from the quarry.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Hannah are looking at rocks in a garden.
- LukasSchau mal, Hannah, dieser Kristall hier!Look, Hannah, this crystal here!
- HannahOh, der Kristall ist wirklich wunderschön.Oh, the crystal is truly beautiful.
- LukasEr ist glatt und sehr schwer.It is smooth and very heavy.
- HannahLukas, du hast ein tolles Fundstück gefunden.Lukas, you have found a great specimen.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crystal” translations and entries Kristall, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Kristall, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
