die  Schikane

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ʃiˈkaːnə/

🧐 What does "Schikane" mean?

Die Schikane (noun, feminine) refers to malicious, often petty harassment or the deliberate creation of unnecessary difficulties. It's about making someone's life difficult, often out of base motives or abuse of power.

Imagine someone constantly inventing new, pointless rules just to annoy or hinder you – that's a typical Schikane.

🚨 Caution: Not every difficulty is a Schikane. A Schikane implies malicious intent or at least arbitrariness.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📝 Grammar Deep Dive: die Schikane

The word "Schikane" is a feminine noun and uses the article die.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

💡 Example Sentences

• Die ständigen Schikanen des Vorgesetzten machten ihm das Arbeiten zur Hölle.
  (The constant harassment by the supervisor made work hell for him.)
• Das neue Antragsverfahren ist eine reine Schikane für die Bürger.
  (The new application procedure is pure chicane/unnecessary difficulty for the citizens.)
• Sie musste viele bürokratische Schikanen überwinden, um ihre Genehmigung zu erhalten.
  (She had to overcome many bureaucratic hurdles/chicanes to get her permit.)
• Er wehrte sich gegen die täglichen Schikanen seiner Mitschüler.
  (He defended himself against the daily harassment by his classmates.)

💬 When to use "Schikane"?

"Schikane" is often used in contexts involving abuse of power, bureaucracy, or interpersonal conflicts.

• Authorities/Bureaucracy: Unnecessarily complicated procedures, arbitrary regulations (often called Behördenschikane - bureaucratic harassment).
• Workplace: Targeted bullying (Mobbing) or the imposition of pointless tasks by supervisors or colleagues.
• Everyday life: Petty annoyances or intentionally created inconveniences by neighbors, classmates, etc.
• Law: Sometimes used in a legal context when an action clearly serves only to harm another person (abuse of rights).

The word carries a strong negative connotation, implying unfairness and malicious intent.

🧠 Mnemonics for "Schikane"

Article Mnemonic: Think of related negative concepts that are also feminine in German: die Gemeinheit (meanness), die Bosheit (malice), or die Quälerei (torment). This helps remember: die Schikane.

Meaning Mnemonic: It sounds like the English word "chicane", which in racing refers to an artificial curve or obstacle designed to slow drivers down or make the course trickier. A Schikane in life similarly creates an unnecessary obstacle or difficulty.

Alternatively, imagine someone being overly chic (schick in German) and canny (sounds like final part of Schi-kane) in finding ways to annoy you with petty rules - that's a Schikane.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words: A normal Herausforderung (challenge) or a necessary Schwierigkeit (difficulty) is not a Schikane, as the malicious intent is missing.

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der Chef den neuen Mitarbeiter: "Haben Sie Hobbys?"
Mitarbeiter: "Ja, ich sammle Schikanen."
Chef: "Interessant, wo finden Sie die denn?"
Mitarbeiter: "Meistens hier im Büro!"

Translation:
The boss asks the new employee: "Do you have any hobbies?"
Employee: "Yes, I collect Schikanen (harassments/petty annoyances)."
Boss: "Interesting, where do you find them?"
Employee: "Mostly here in the office!"

📜 Poem about Schikane

Ein kleiner Stich, ein Nadelprickeln,
sinnlose Regeln, die verwickeln.
Ein Stein im Schuh, ein Sand im Rad,
die Schikane legt den Fortschritt lahm, sehr fad.
Mal laut, mal leis', oft unerkannt,
reicht sie die boshaft kalte Hand.

Translation:
A little prick, a pin's sharp touch,
Pointless rules that tangle much.
A stone in shoe, sand in the wheel,
Die Schikane stops progress, how dull it feels.
Sometimes loud, sometimes unseen,
It offers its malicious, cold hand, so mean.

❓ Riddle Time

Ich bin kein Berg, doch schwer zu meistern,
bin oft von Bosheit angetrieben, von bösen Geistern.
Ich lege Steine in den Weg mit Absicht und Kalkül,
verursache Ärger und ein mieses Gefühl.
Am Amt, im Job, manchmal privat,
bin ich eine unnötige, gemeine Tat.

Was bin ich?

(I am not a mountain, yet hard to master,
I am often driven by malice, by evil casters.
I place stones in the path with intent and calculation,
causing trouble and a bad sensation.
At the office, at work, sometimes in private life,
I am an unnecessary, mean strife.)

What am I?

Solution: die Schikane

🤓 Trivia

Etymology: The German word "Schikane" comes from the French word chicane, which originally meant "quibbling", "subterfuge", or "legal chicanery". It was adopted into German in the 17th century.

Verb form: The corresponding verb is schikanieren (jemanden schikanieren = to harass someone, to bully someone, to put someone through the wringer).