kraken
/kʁa.kɛn/masculine
The English phrase 'kraken' is translated into French as kraken.
The word refers to a sea monster.
Meaning: Sea monster (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
This is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced as /kʁa.kɛn/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'cranky', as both stem from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'crooked' or 'twisted'.
- In French, kraken is a masculine noun, but in its original Norwegian source, the root word krake is feminine.
- While kraken is used in French fantasy literature, it often shares the page with le Léviathan, a biblical monster that is conceptually different but often conflated.
Examples in context
- Le mythique Kraken, trois fois plus gros qu'un bateau, attaqua un jour la flotte de Christophe Colomb… ne laissant d'autre choix à ce dernier que de manger le Kraken.The mythical Kraken, thick as a ship and three times as wide, once made an attack on Christopher Columbus's fleet… giving Columbus no choice but to eat him.This sentence is useful for seeing how the word kraken is used in a mythical context.Tatoeba #763342 by gall, translation #545608 by FeuDRenais
- Oh, tu veux dire les poulpes géants et les pieuvres légendaires comme le kraken?Oh, you mean the giant octopuses and the legendary octopuses like the kraken?
- Le kraken surgit des profondeurs de l'océan.The kraken emerges from the depths of the ocean.
- On raconte qu'un kraken habite cette mer.They say a kraken inhabits this sea.
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are watching a fantasy movie together.
- EmmaEst-ce que ce monstre est un kraken ?Is this monster a kraken?
- LucasOui, c'est un énorme kraken terrifiant.Yes, it is a huge, terrifying kraken.
- EmmaIl me fait très peur, ce kraken.This kraken scares me a lot.
- LucasNe t'inquiète pas, ce n'est qu'un film.Don't worry, it is only a movie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kraken” translations and entries kraken, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kraken, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
