Krake
/ˈkʁaːkə/masculine
The English phrase 'kraken' is translated into German as Krake.
Krake refers to a sea monster.
Meaning: Sea monster (noun)
Which one should you use?
Krake is the singular form, while Kraken is the plural form.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Krake is a colloquial term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is masculine, so it takes the masculine article der.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkʁaːkə/
Did you know?
- The word Krake is frequently used as a political metaphor in German to describe an organization or a company that has too many 'tentacles' and controls too much of the economy.
- The German word Krake is borrowed from the Norwegian word kraken, which was the definite singular form of the word for 'sea monster'.
- The German language uses the root of Krake in the compound word Krakelei, though this refers to scribbling or messy writing rather than the monster.
Examples in context
- Einmal wurde die Flotte des Christoph Kolumbus von dem mythischen Kraken angegriffen, der war so breit wie ein Schiff war und so lang – und ließ Kolumbus keinen anderen Ausweg, als ihn zu verputzen.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 illustrates the use of the mythical Krake.Tatoeba #654723 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #545608 by FeuDRenais
- die/der Krake des KapitalismusThe kraken of capitalismThis example shows a metaphorical use of the word.
- Das Schiff wurde von einer Krake (einem Kraken) versenkt.The ship was sunk by a kraken.This sentence shows how the word is used to describe a ship being sunk.
- Hast du schon einmal einen Kraken gesehen? Er ist riesig!Have you ever seen a Kraken? It's huge!
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a book about sea legends.
- HannahSchau mal, hier ist ein Krake.Look, here is a kraken.
- JulianDer Krake sieht wirklich gruselig aus.The kraken looks really creepy.
- HannahGlaubst du, er existiert wirklich?Do you think he really exists?
- JulianIch denke nicht, dass der Krake echt ist.I don't think the kraken is real.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kraken” translations and entries Krake, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Krake, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
