01
die Königin
queen
The female ruler of a kingdom.
example
Königin Margrethe II. war Staatsoberhaupt von Dänemark.
Queen Margrethe II was the head of state of Denmark.
die Königin
queen
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The word 'Königin' (queen) is the feminine form of 'der König' (the king). The ending '-in' is used very frequently in German to form the feminine form from a masculine person or profession noun.
EXAMPLE
Die Königin regierte das Land weise.
The queen ruled the country wisely.
Word family
'Königin' (queen) belongs to the word family around 'der König' (the king). The adjective 'königlich' (royal) also belongs to it and describes things that belong to a king or queen, or are worthy of them.
EXAMPLE
Die Familie besuchte das königliche Schloss.
The family visited the royal castle.
Context clue
The context tells you whether a ruling monarch or the wife of a king is meant. A female ruler is often mentioned together with her country (e.g., 'Königin von England' — Queen of England), while the wife is often mentioned together with the king.
EXAMPLE
Die Königin von Spanien hielt eine Rede.
The queen of Spain gave a speech.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning, 'Königin' (queen) is often used as the second part of compound words. Examples are 'Ballkönigin' (prom queen), 'Weinkönigin' (wine queen), or 'Schützenkönigin' (shooting queen / markswoman queen).
EXAMPLE
Zur Eröffnung des Weinfestes wurde die neue Weinkönigin gekrönt.
At the opening of the wine festival, the new wine queen was crowned.
Context: chess
In chess, the queen is the strongest piece. Typical verbs in this context are 'die Königin opfern' (to sacrifice the queen), 'die Königin bewegen' (to move the queen), or 'mit der Königin schlagen' (to capture with the queen).
EXAMPLE
Er opferte seine Königin, um das Spiel zu gewinnen.
He sacrificed his queen to win the game.
Context: insects
This meaning occurs only in a biological context. The word is usually combined with the insect species, for example 'Bienenkönigin' (queen bee) or 'Ameisenkönigin' (queen ant).
EXAMPLE
Forscher haben die Bienenkönigin mit einem Punkt markiert.
Researchers marked the queen bee with a dot.
Compare with
Königin vs König
king
'der König' and 'die Königin' often belong to the same topic area, but they are not simply interchangeable. 'der König' is the masculine form and means a male ruler. 'die Königin' can be a female ruler, but also the wife of a king. In chess, the difference is especially important: the king is the piece that must be protected, while the queen is the strongest piece. The words can be confused because both fit monarchy, chess, and figurative titles. So pay attention to gender, role, and context.
Königin
Die Königin zog über das ganze Brett und schlug den Turm.
The queen moved across the whole board and captured the rook.
König
Beim Schach darf der König nicht im Schach stehen bleiben.
In chess, the king must not remain in check.
In real life
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