noun
cocoa
B1
Kakao is a masculine noun meaning 'cocoa' (powder or drink) and sometimes 'cacao' (the raw bean product). Plural often Kakaos (–s). Genitive singular des Kakaos. Regular declension but plural uses -s. No special preposition; common phrases: heißer Kakao, Kakao trinken.
Examples
Die Kinder tranken heißen Kakao, nachdem sie im Schnee gespielt hatten.
The children drank hot cocoa after they had played in the snow.
An kalten Wintertagen trinke ich gerne einen heißen Kakao.
On cold winter days, I like to drink hot cocoa.
Mein Sohn trinkt gern warmen Kakao im Winter.
My son likes to drink hot chocolate in winter.
Details
Mnemonics
picture a steaming mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows
almost identical to English 'cocoa' — rely on the similarity
der (masculine) — imagine a man (der) holding the mug of Kakao
Notes
In everyday German 'Kakao' often refers to hot chocolate (the drink) rather than raw cocoa powder.