der König
king
The male ruler of a monarchy, who holds the highest office of state.
EXAMPLE
Der König hielt eine Ansprache an sein Volk.
The king gave an address to his people.
der König
king
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Meanings
der König
king
The most important piece in the game of chess, whose protection is the goal of the game.
EXAMPLE
Wenn der König im Schach matt gesetzt wird, ist das Spiel verloren.
When the king is checkmated in chess, the game is lost.
der König
king
A person who is considered the best or most successful in a particular field.
EXAMPLE
Er gilt als der unbestrittene König des Rock 'n' Roll.
He is considered the undisputed king of rock 'n' roll.
Usage tips
Word family
The word family of 'König' (king) includes the adjective 'königlich' (royal; like a king) and the noun 'das Königreich' (kingdom; the country ruled by a king or queen).
EXAMPLE
Die Familie lebt in einem königlichen Palast.
The family lives in a royal palace.
Context clue
The meaning 'chess piece' is clear from the context of the game. Words like 'Schach' (chess), 'matt' (checkmate), 'Figur' (piece), or 'Spiel' (game) make it clear that the ruler is not meant.
EXAMPLE
Im Schach musst du deinen König um jeden Preis schützen.
In chess, you have to protect your king at all costs.
Sentence structure
In the figurative meaning, the structure 'König des/der + genitive' (king of the + genitive) or 'König von + dative' (king of + dative) is often used to describe the best person in a field.
EXAMPLE
Er wird als der König der Torjäger gefeiert.
He is celebrated as the king of the goal scorers.
Compare with
König vs Meister
master / champion
König and Meister can both refer to an outstanding person in a field. König emphasizes figurative superiority and many successes across the field, while Meister focuses more on exceptional mastery of a particular skill. Use König for the top position and Meister for perfect skill.
König
Wegen seiner vielen Siege gilt Jonas in der Kochszene als der König der Desserts.
Because of his many victories, Jonas is considered the king of desserts in the culinary world.
Meister
Mit großer Genauigkeit ist Jonas ein Meister der Dessertzubereitung.
With his great precision, Jonas is a master of dessert preparation.
In real life
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