kränken
to hurt
To hurt a person's feelings, insult someone, or humiliate them.
EXAMPLE
Mit deiner unbedachten Äußerung hast du sie tief gekränkt.
With your thoughtless remark, you deeply hurt her.
kränken
to hurt
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'kränken' (to hurt) is closely related to the adjective 'krank' (sick). To hurt someone in this sense means, metaphorically, to make their soul or feelings 'sick'.
EXAMPLE
Seine Kritik war so hart, dass sie mich wirklich gekränkt hat.
His criticism was so harsh that it really hurt me.
Sentence structure
'Kränken' (to hurt) is a transitive verb. The person whose feelings are hurt is always in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Ich wollte dich mit meiner E-Mail auf keinen Fall kränken.
I definitely didn't want to hurt you with my email.
Typical use
The participle 'gekränkt' (hurt/offended) is often used as an adjective or in the expression 'sich gekränkt fühlen' (to feel hurt/offended). You can also say that someone is 'tief gekränkt' (deeply hurt) or 'leicht gekränkt' (easily offended/slightly hurt).
EXAMPLE
Er reagiert nicht mehr auf meine Anrufe; ich glaube, er ist gekränkt.
He no longer responds to my calls; I think he's hurt.
Compare with
kränken vs verletzen
to injure / hurt / violate
Both verbs describe emotional pain caused by words or behavior. Kränken emphasizes a personal insult or humiliation more strongly; verletzen describes the painful effect more generally and also fits an unintended offense. For a deliberate insult, kränken is therefore often more appropriate.
kränken
Mit einer gezielten Beleidigung kränkte Paul seine Kollegin vor dem Team.
Paul insulted his colleague in front of the team with a deliberate insult.
verletzen
Mit einer gedankenlosen Bemerkung verletzte Paul seine Kollegin vor dem Team.
Paul hurt his colleague in front of the team with a thoughtless remark.
In real life
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