die
Kapsel
💊 What exactly is a Kapsel?
The word die Kapsel (noun, feminine) generally refers to a small casing or container that encloses something. Depending on the context, it has more specific meanings:
- Medicine & Pharmacy : Usually an oblong, two-part shell (often made of gelatin) containing powdered or liquid medicine, intended to be swallowed. Example: Ich muss dreimal täglich eine Kapsel einnehmen. (I have to take one capsule three times a day.)
- Botany : A dry fruit type in plants that splits open when ripe to release seeds (e.g., poppy capsule - Mohnkapsel). Also refers to the spore containers in mosses and ferns. Example: Die Mohnblume bildet nach der Blüte eine Kapsel aus. (The poppy forms a capsule after flowering.)
- Technology & Space Travel : A small, often pressure-resistant container for various purposes, e.g., a space capsule (Raumkapsel) for astronauts, a time capsule (Zeitkapsel) for storing items for the future, or a coffee capsule (Kaffeekapsel) for coffee machines. Example: Die Raumkapsel landete sicher im Meer. (The space capsule landed safely in the sea.)
- General: A small container or closure, e.g., a bottle cap (outdated: Flaschenkapsel) or a small container for toys from vending machines.
⚠️ The only article for Kapsel is die.
🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Kapsel
The noun "Kapsel" is feminine. Here is its declension:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Kapsel |
| Genitive | der | Kapsel |
| Dative | der | Kapsel |
| Accusative | die | Kapsel |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Kapseln |
| Genitive | der | Kapseln |
| Dative | den | Kapseln |
| Accusative | die | Kapseln |
Example Sentences for Kapsel
- Der Arzt verschrieb mir Schmerzmittel in Kapseln.
(The doctor prescribed me painkillers in capsules.) - Die reifen Kapseln des Mohns enthalten viele kleine Samen.
(The ripe capsules of the poppy contain many small seeds.) - Beim Stadtjubiläum wurde eine Zeitkapsel vergraben.
(A time capsule was buried during the city anniversary.) - Kannst du mir eine Kaffeekapsel geben?
(Can you give me a coffee capsule?)
💡 How to use "Kapsel"?
The term "Kapsel" is used specifically depending on the field:
- In a medical context, it refers to medication capsules, which, unlike tablets (Tabletten), are often two-part and contain powder or liquid.
- In botany, die Kapsel denotes a specific type of fruit (dehiscent or indehiscent fruit).
- In the technical field, the meaning is broader, referring to various types of containers, from space capsules (Raumkapseln) to coffee capsules (Kaffeekapseln).
- Colloquially, it can also simply mean a small container or closure.
Risk of confusion: Sometimes "Pille" (pill) is used synonymously, but "Pille" usually refers to a solid tablet, whereas "Kapsel" is a shell containing something.
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Kapsel"
Article Mnemonic: Think of feminine medicine - die Medizin. The capsule (die Kapsel) contains die Medizin, so it's also die. Many feminine German nouns end in -e.
Meaning Mnemonic: A Kapsel is like a little 'cap' or 'case' that seals something - medicine, seeds, coffee, or even astronauts in a space Kapsel!
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar meaning):
Antonyms (opposites - context-dependent):
- Tablette: Tablet (solid dosage form, in medical context).
- Offen / Ungeschützt: Open / Unprotected (opposite of being encapsulated).
- Pulver / Flüssigkeit: Powder / Liquid (the contents of the capsule, in medical context).
Similar sounding words: Kapitel (chapter), Kapelle (chapel) - unrelated meanings.
😄 A little Kapsel Joke
Warum hat die Kapsel den Wecker aus dem Fenster geworfen?
Sie wollte sehen, wie die Zeit verfliegt!
(Why did the capsule throw the alarm clock out the window?
It wanted to see time fly! - Okay, this one works better for a time capsule (Zeitkapsel) 😉)
📜 Poem about the Kapsel
Die Kapsel
Ob Medizin, ob Pflanzensaat,
ob Kaffee, der schon fertig naht,
ob's ins All geht, welch ein Flug –
Die Kapsel schützt, das ist genug.
Klein und fein, verschlossen dicht,
bewahrt sie's gut, bis man sie bricht.
--- English Translation ---
The Capsule
Be it medicine or plant seed near,
Be it coffee, ready, banishing fear,
Be it to space, what a flight's embrace –
The capsule protects, enough for this place.
Small and fine, sealed up so tight,
It keeps things safe, till opened to light.
❓ Riddle Time
Ich habe keinen Mund, doch schluckt man mich.
Ich trage Samen, doch bin kein Beet für dich.
Ich fliege ins All, doch Flügel hab' ich nicht.
Was bin ich?
(I have no mouth, yet I am swallowed.
I carry seeds, but am no garden bed for you.
I fly into space, but have no wings.
What am I?)
Solution: Die Kapsel (The capsule)
➕ Other Information
Word Origin: The word "Kapsel" comes from the Latin word capsula, meaning "small container" or "little box" (diminutive of capsa = box, container).
Compound Words (Wortzusammensetzungen): Kapsel is often part of compound nouns:
- Zeitkapsel: Time capsule
- Raumkapsel: Space capsule
- Kaffeekapsel: Coffee capsule/pod
- Medikamentenkapsel: Medication capsule
- Mohnkapsel: Poppy seed pod/capsule
- Gelenkkapsel: Joint capsule (Medicine/Anatomy)
- Kronkorken: Bottle cap (formerly also Flaschenkapsel)
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Kapsel?
The German word Kapsel is always feminine. The correct article is die Kapsel. It refers to a small casing or container, such as for medicine, plant seeds, or in space travel.