der
Koks
🔥 What does 'der Koks' mean? ❄️
The word der Koks has two main meanings, which are very different:
🔥 Fuel (Coke): Koks is a solid, porous fuel obtained by heating coal in the absence of air (a process called Verkokung or coking). It's primarily used in the iron and steel industry as a reducing agent and energy source in blast furnaces (Hochofen).
❄️ Drug (Cocaine - colloquial): In slang, 'Koks' refers to the drug cocaine. This meaning is informal and often used in contexts of drug use and trafficking. ⚠️ Attention: This meaning is highly context-dependent and belongs to colloquial or scene language.
It's important to infer the intended meaning from the context.
🧐 Grammar of Koks in Detail
Der Koks is a masculine noun.
Declension (Singular):
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | Koks |
| Genitive | des | Kokses |
| Dative | dem | Koks(e) |
| Accusative | den | Koks |
Plural:
- For the meaning fuel, the plural (die Kokse) is rarely used, as Koks is mostly treated as an uncountable material. People usually talk about 'quantities of coke' (Koksmengen) or 'types of coke' (Kokssorten).
- For the meaning drug, the plural is also rarely formed correctly. Sometimes you might hear 'die Koks' colloquially as a collective term, which isn't grammatically standard. It mostly stays singular or is paraphrased ('cans of coke' - Dosen Koks, 'lines of coke' - Linien Koks).
Example Sentences
Der Hochofen benötigt täglich viele Tonnen Koks.
(The blast furnace needs many tons of coke daily.)Die Qualität des Kokses ist entscheidend für die Stahlproduktion.
(The quality of the coke is crucial for steel production.)Die Polizei fand bei der Razzia eine große Menge Koks.
(The police found a large amount of coke [cocaine] during the raid.)Er ist leider abhängig von Koks.
(Unfortunately, he is addicted to coke [cocaine].)
🗣️ How to use 'der Koks'?
The usage of der Koks strongly depends on the respective meaning:
- As Fuel: This usage is mainly found in technical, industrial, or historical contexts, especially concerning metallurgy (steel production), old heating systems, or the Industrial Revolution. Here, it is a neutral technical term. Example: Die Kokerei produzierte Koks für das nahegelegene Stahlwerk. (The coking plant produced coke for the nearby steelworks.)
- As Drug (Cocaine): This meaning is exclusively colloquial or part of scene jargon. It is used in informal conversations, reports about drug crime, or fictional works (movies, books) depicting this milieu. ⚠️ In formal or neutral contexts, the word Kokain should be used instead. Example: Der Dealer verkaufte Koks an Jugendliche. (The dealer sold coke [cocaine] to teenagers. - Colloquial) vs. Der Angeklagte wurde wegen des Handels mit Kokain verurteilt. (The defendant was convicted for trafficking cocaine. - Formal)
It's rare for the two meanings to be confused, as the context is usually very clear (industry vs. drug scene).
🧠 Mnemonics for Koks
Remembering the Article: Think of DER strong industrial worker (DER Arbeiter) who needs DER Koks (fuel) in the blast furnace. Or think of DER dangerous high (DER Rausch) that DER Koks (drug) causes.
Remembering the Meanings: Imagine scales: On one side, there's black, hard Koks (coal product) for industry 🔥, on the other side, white powder, the Koks (cocaine) ❄️. Both start with 'K', but have completely different effects.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- For Fuel: (depending on context) Hochofenkoks (blast furnace coke), Gießereikoks (foundry coke), Grudekoks (obsolete type), Kohlenstoff (carbon - chemically)
- For Drug (Cocaine): (Colloquial/Scene jargon) Schnee (snow), Weißes Gold (white gold), Coca, Stoff (stuff), Puder (powder), Charlie
Similar but different words:
😂 A Little Joke
Fragt der eine Hochofen den anderen: "Warum bist du heute so gut drauf?" Antwortet der andere: "Ich habe heute Morgen extra hochwertigen Koks bekommen, das heizt richtig ein!"
Translation:
One blast furnace asks the other: "Why are you in such a good mood today?"
The other replies: "I got extra high-quality coke this morning, it really heats things up!"
📜 Poem about Koks
Der Koks, zwei Welten
Schwarz und hart, im Feuerglut geboren,
Der Koks, fürs Eisenwerk erkoren.
Er glüht und schafft, gibt Kraft und Hitze,
In Industrie, an vorderster Spitze.
Weiß und fein, auf Spiegeln kalt,
Der Koks, der die Vernunft zerspaltet.
Ein kurzer Rausch, ein teurer Flug,
Hinterlässt oft nur Betrug.
Zwei Worte gleich, doch Sinn so fern,
Der eine nährt, der andre lehrt entbehren gern.
Translation:
Coke, Two Worlds
Black and hard, born in fiery glow,
The coke, chosen for the ironworks' flow.
It glows and creates, gives power and heat,
In industry, at the forefront seat.
White and fine, on mirrors cold,
The coke, that shatters reason, bold.
A short high, an expensive flight,
Often leaves behind only plight.
Two words alike, yet meaning far,
One nourishes, the other teaches to abstain by star.
❓ Riddle
Ich kann schwarz sein und in Öfen brennen,
oder weiß und dich high machen können.
Man braucht mich für Stahl, hart und schwer,
manchmal auch heimlich, und begehrt noch mehr.
Was bin ich?
Translation:
I can be black and burn in furnaces,
or white and capable of making you high.
I am needed for steel, hard and heavy,
sometimes secretly, and desired even more.
What am I?
(Solution: Der Koks)
💡 Other Information
Etymology: The German word 'Koks' comes from the English word 'coke', referring to the process of 'coking'. The transfer to the drug cocaine happened later in colloquial use, likely as a shortened form of 'Kokain'.
Production (Fuel): Coke (fuel) is produced by dry distillation (pyrolysis) of bituminous coal at high temperatures (approx. 1000–1400 °C) in the absence of oxygen. Volatile components escape, leaving a solid, carbon-rich residue – the coke.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Koks?
The word Koks is masculine. The correct article is always der: der Koks. It has two main meanings – an industrial fuel (coke) and, colloquially, the drug cocaine.