That fluffy shape in the sky, that stormy shadow on the horizon, or even a digital data backup—Germans call it a Wolke. It’s a word that floats through weather reports, poems, and tech lingo alike.
The noun Wolke means cloud, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll hear it in daily conversation, weather forecasts, romantic metaphors, and computer terminology.
It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Wolke.
Pronunciation
Wolke is pronounced [VOL-kuh].
- The “W” is pronounced like a V,
- The “o” is short, like in “pot”,
- The “ke” is a soft “kuh,”
- Stress is on the first syllable: VOL-ke
It’s round and light—just like the thing it describes.
Example sentences:
- Am Himmel schwebt nur eine einzige Wolke.
Only a single cloud is drifting in the sky. - Plötzlich zog eine dunkle Wolke auf.
Suddenly, a dark cloud appeared.
Nuance and usage tips
Wolke is mostly literal, but also has several figurative and modern uses:
- Literal clouds in the sky
- Regenwolke – rain cloud
- Gewitterwolke – thundercloud
- Wolkenbruch – torrential rain (literally “cloud break”)
- Metaphorical or emotional clouds
- eine Wolke aus Traurigkeit – a cloud of sadness
- auf Wolke sieben sein – to be on cloud nine (same phrase in German!)
- Technology: "The Cloud"
- Daten in der Cloud speichern – to store data in the cloud
- Wolkenservice – cloud service (less common, but understandable)
Its antonym could be klarer Himmel (clear sky) or Sonne (sun), depending on context.
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Die Wolke sah aus wie ein Elefant.
The cloud looked like an elephant. - Accusative:
Ich habe die Wolke fotografiert.
I took a photo of the cloud. - Dative:
Mit der Wolke kam der Regen.
With the cloud came the rain. - Genitive:
Wegen der Wolke war der Himmel grau.
Because of the cloud, the sky was gray.
Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- Wölkchen – little cloud (diminutive, cute!)
- Wolkendecke – cloud cover
- Wolkenschicht – cloud layer
- Wolkenkratzer – skyscraper (literally “cloud scratcher”)
- Wolkenmeer – sea of clouds
- Zuckerwattewolke – cotton candy cloud (yes, it gets poetic!)
Fun idiomatic note:
The phrase auf Wolke sieben sein (“to be on cloud seven”) is exactly like English’s “cloud nine.” It means to be blissfully in love or euphorically happy.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Wolke
🎥 Learn Wolke and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Alternate translations note:
For clouds of gas or smoke, Germans still often use Wolke (e.g., Rauchwolke = smoke cloud). For mist or fog, use Nebel. But for the white or grey stuff in the sky—or the storage folder floating somewhere over your internet—Wolke is your word.
Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Zeuge means? How about Zelle? Find out!