French in different languages

French in Different Languages

Discover 'French' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'French' holds a significant place in our global lexicon, often associated with the language, culture, and people of France. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as French has long been a language of art, diplomacy, and fashion. But did you know that French is also the official language of 29 countries and is spoken by over 280 million people worldwide?

Understanding the translation of 'French' in different languages can open up a world of opportunities for travel, business, and cultural exchange. For example, in Spanish, 'French' is 'francés,' while in German, it's 'französisch.' In Mandarin Chinese, it's '法语 (fǎ yǔ),' and in Japanese, it's 'フランス語 (furansu-go).'

As you delve into the fascinating world of language and culture, exploring the translations of 'French' will undoubtedly enrich your understanding and appreciation of this beautiful language and the people who speak it. Keep reading to discover more translations of 'French' in various languages!

French


French in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansfrans
The word "Frans" in Afrikaans has its origins in the Old French word "franceis," which meant "French" or "of France".
Amharicፈረንሳይኛ
Hausafaransanci
The word “Faransanci” in Hausa also denotes “Europeans” irrespective of the country of origin of the person.
Igbofrench
French (French) is also used by many Igbo speakers to mean something that appears good, beautiful or impressive.
Malagasyfrantsay
The word 'FRANTSAY' is derived from the French word for 'French', which is 'Français'
Nyanja (Chichewa)chifalansa
A word derived from the word "Frans" from Tshivenda to describe someone who is French
Shonachifrench
The word "ChiFrench" has been used as a term of endearment or to denote stylishness.
Somalifaransiis
Sesothosefora
Swahilikifaransa
In Swahili the word for 'French', 'Kifaransa', derives etymologically from the Farsi phrase 'Farangsah', meaning 'Frankish'.
Xhosaisifrentshi
The word 'IsiFrentshi' is also used to refer to the French language, even though Xhosa has its own word, 'isiFulentshi', for that.
Yorubafaranse
In Yoruba,
Zuluisifulentshi
IsiFulentshi is derived from the French phrase 'il est fluent', meaning 'he is fluent'. Zulu uses the shortened version of this phrase to refer to the French language.
Bambarafaransikan na
Ewefransegbe me nya
Kinyarwandaigifaransa
Lingalalifalanse
Lugandaolufaransa
Sepedisefora
Twi (Akan)franse kasa

French in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicفرنسي
فرنسي (French) also means "someone who goes to extremes," perhaps to the point of "going all out" or being eccentric.
Hebrewצָרְפָתִית
The Hebrew word "צָרְפָתִית" (French) originally referred to the language of the Crusaders from the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Pashtoفرانسوي
In the eastern branch of Pashto, “French
Arabicفرنسي
فرنسي (French) also means "someone who goes to extremes," perhaps to the point of "going all out" or being eccentric.

French in Western European Languages

Albanianfrëngjisht
The word "Frëngjisht" is derived from the Frankish people, who ruled over much of Europe in the Middle Ages.
Basquefrantsesa
The word "Frantsesa" is derived from the Basque words "franko" (free) and "sesa" (language), and also means "Frankish" or "Frankonian".
Catalanfrancès
The exonym “Francès” for France and “French” also derives from the Frankish people.
Croatianfrancuski
Francuski' is derived from the Old Frankish word 'Frenkis', referring to the Frankish people who conquered Gaul in the 5th century.
Danishfransk
The word is derived from the Old Norse Franks, meaning "the fierce people."
Dutchfrans
Frans can also mean 'fringe' or 'edge' in Dutch, referring to the fringes of a garment or the edges of a piece of fabric.
Englishfrench
The word "French" can also refer to the language spoken in France, as opposed to the ethnic group.
Frenchfrançais
Le mot « français » vient du latin populaire *francíscús, lui-même dérivé du germanique *frankisk signifiant « relatif aux Francs ».
Frisianfrânsk
It also means "foreign" or "unknown" in the modern sense.
Galicianfrancés
Francés means "frank" in Galician, and is related to the name of the Germanic tribe that settled in Western Europe in the 3rd century.
Germanfranzösisch
The word "Französisch" derives from the Old High German word "frankonisk", which referred to the Franks, a Germanic tribe that conquered Gaul (present-day France) in the 5th century.
Icelandicfranska
Franska, in addition to meaning "French", can also refer to a type of French mustard or a woman with a specific character or appearance.
Irishfraincis
The Irish word 'Fraincis' (French) derives from the Latin 'Francia', denoting the land of the Franks, a Germanic people who established the Frankish Kingdom in the 5th century.
Italianfrancese
The word "francese" in Italian is often used to refer to the French fries
Luxembourgishfranséisch
Franséisch stammt vom althochdeutschen Wort «fランクh» ab (Franke, Freier) und steht in verwandschaftlicher Verbindung zur Bezeichnung der Franken als Volksname.
Maltesefranċiż
This word can also refer to someone born in France, the French language, or the French nation, and is likely to have been coined during the Arab rule of Malta.
Norwegianfransk
Fransk, meaning 'French' in Norwegian, originates from the Proto-Germanic word 'Frankon', referring to the Franks, a Germanic tribe.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)francês
O termo "francês" deriva do francês antigo "franceis", que por sua vez vem do latim "francus", significando "franco" ou "livre".
Scots Gaelicfrangach
The term "Frangach" comes from the Old French "Franceis" and is also used to refer to Gaelic speakers who have adopted French customs.
Spanishfrancés
In Spain, «francés» also refers to the "francisco", a copper-plated Spanish two-cent coin minted under Charles III and Charles IV.
Swedishfranska
Franska also means 'open' or 'free' in Swedish.
Welshffrangeg
The word "Ffrangeg" has additional meanings, including "foreign" or "unknown."

French in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianфранцузская
The word "Французская" can also mean "French Fries" in Belarusian.
Bosnianfrancuski
The word "Francuski" also means "French fries" in Bosnian.
Bulgarianфренски
The word "Френски" also means "braid" in Bulgarian.
Czechfrancouzština
Slovo „francouzština” pochází ze staroněmeckého „Franzoys” označujícího „frankouzsko-římského“ a označuje původně „řeč Francouzů“.
Estonianprantsuse keel
The word is a compound of two words, "Prantus" from Latin Francia and "keel" meaning "language".
Finnishranskan kieli
The word "Ranskan kieli" is formed from the words "Ranska", which is the nominative form of the Finnish word for "France", and "kieli", which means "language". Thus, the word "Ranskan kieli" literally means "the language of France".
Hungarianfrancia
Francia in Hungarian can also refer to the Frankish Empire or Franconia.
Latvianfranču
The word "Franču" is derived from the Germanic "Frank". In Latvian, it can also refer to a type of bread.
Lithuanianprancūzų kalba
The word "Prancūzų kalba" is derived from the name of the Frankish people, who were a Germanic tribe that conquered Gaul in the 5th century AD.
Macedonianфранцуски
Француски in Macedonian can also refer to the French language and culture.
Polishfrancuski
The word "Francuski" in Polish derives from the name of the Frankish tribe, who ruled over much of Europe in the early Middle Ages.
Romanianlimba franceza
The Romanian word "limba franceza" derives from the Proto-Romance "*francia", meaning "Frankish" or "from Francia" (a region of northwestern Europe inhabited by the Germanic Franks).
Russianфранцузский язык
The word "французский язык" (French) is derived from the old Russian word "фрязь", which referred to Western Europeans, particularly merchants from the Hanseatic League.
Serbianфранцуски
У српском језику израз "Француски" такође означава и одређену врсту шпила
Slovakfrancúzsky
The word Francúzsky is derived from the name of an ancient Germanic tribe, the Franks, who invaded and settled in Gaul (present-day France) in the 5th century.
Slovenianfrancosko
The word "Francosko" in Slovenian can mean both "French" and "from France".
Ukrainianфранцузька
In botany, 'Французька' (French) can also refer to a variety of lilac with double purple petals.

French in South Asian Languages

Bengaliফরাসি
ফরাসি শব্দটির ব্যুৎপত্তি মূলতঃ একটি আরবি শব্দ "ফিরান্সি" থেকে এসেছে।
Gujaratiફ્રેન્ચ
Hindiफ्रेंच
In Hindi, the word "फ्रेंच" can also refer to the French language or a person from France.
Kannadaಫ್ರೆಂಚ್
The word 'ಫ್ರೆಂಚ್' in Kannada can also refer to the French language, people, or culture.
Malayalamഫ്രഞ്ച്
The word "ഫ്രഞ്ച്" (French) in Malayalam also refers to a type of dance and a style of beard.
Marathiफ्रेंच
Nepaliफ्रेन्च
The word "फ्रेन्च" can also refer to the French language or culture.
Punjabiਫ੍ਰੈਂਚ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ප්‍රංශ
ප්‍රංශ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'परङ्गम्' (parangam), meaning 'foreign' or 'distant'.
Tamilபிரஞ்சு
The word 'பிரஞ்சு' (French) in Tamil also refers to the 'Frankish' or 'Frankish people' (Franks) who were a Germanic people that conquered much of Western Europe in the 5th century.
Teluguఫ్రెంచ్
Urduفرانسیسی
In Urdu, the word 'فرانسیسی' can also refer to the French language, French culture, or anything related to France.

French in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)法文
中国古代对西方国家的统称,现多指法国、意大利等罗曼语系国家
Chinese (Traditional)法文
「法文」一詞在中文除了指稱「法語」之外,也意指「法律條文」或「法律文書」。
Japaneseフランス語
フランス語の起源は古フランス語の「franc」,ゲルマン祖語の「*frankōn」に遡り,本来は「自由の人」を意味した。
Korean프랑스 국민
In Korean, the word "프랑스 국민" can also mean a person who is well-dressed or elegant, similar to the English phrase "dressed to the nines".
Mongolianфранц
In Mongolian, "Франц" can also mean "potato".
Myanmar (Burmese)ပြင်သစ်
The term may have originated from the word “Paris”, which came from the term “Pali”.

French in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianperancis
"Perancis" juga mengacu pada orang dari Prancis, budaya Prancis, atau bahasa Prancis.
Javaneseprancis
"Prancis" in Javanese can colloquially refer to any Westerners, not just people from France.
Khmerបារាំង
The word "បារាំង" (French) in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "पारसीक" (Persian), which referred to the Persians and later the Arabs.
Laoຝຣັ່ງ
คำว่า "ຝຣັ່ງ" ในภาษาลาว ยังหมายถึง คนต่างชาติ หรือ ฝรั่งเศสโบราณ
Malaybahasa perancis
In Malay, 'Bahasa Perancis' literally means 'the language of France', as 'bahasa' means 'language' and 'Perancis' means 'France'.
Thaiฝรั่งเศส
ในภาษาไทย คำว่า "ฝรั่งเศส" ยังสามารถหมายถึงชาวตะวันตกโดยทั่วไป หรือชาวต่างชาติที่มีผิวขาว
Vietnamesengười pháp
Người Pháp có nghĩa đen là "người Frank", ám chỉ một liên minh các bộ tộc German chinh phục Gaul vào thế kỷ thứ 5.
Filipino (Tagalog)pranses

French in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanifransız dili
The word “Fransız dili” is used to refer to both the French language and the French people in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhфранцуз
In Kazakh, "Француз" can also refer to a type of flower known as a "marigold".
Kyrgyzфрансузча
The word “Франсузча” (“French”) comes from the French phrase “français” which is the word for the French people.
Tajikфаронсавӣ
The word "Фаронсавӣ" in Tajik means "French", but its historical etymology may be related to the ancient kingdom of Francia, which was called "France" in English and French and "France" in Tajik.
Turkmenfransuz
Uzbekfrantsuz
The word 'Frantsuz' (French) in Uzbek is derived from the word 'Frank' (Frankish), referring to the Germanic tribes that eventually established the Kingdom of France.
Uyghurفىرانسۇزچە

French in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpalani
Palani, in Hawaiian, can refer to a small fish, as well as the island of Lanai.
Maoriwiwi
Wiwi can also refer to the edible fern root in Maori.
Samoanfalani
The term 'Falani' likely originated from early interactions with French traders during the 1800s, where 'Français' was misheard or simplified.
Tagalog (Filipino)pranses
The term "Pranses" in Tagalog can also refer to a type of small, spicy fish, or as a slang term for a homosexual person.

French in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarafrancés aru
Guaranifrancés ñe’ẽme

French in International Languages

Esperantofrancoj
Latingallica
Gallica derives from Gaul, a Celtic-speaking part of Western Europe conquered by the Romans.

French in Others Languages

Greekγαλλική γλώσσα
The term "γαλλική γλώσσα" in Greek comes from the name of the Galatians, a Celtic people who inhabited an area now known as France.
Hmongfab kis
Fab Kis is also used by Hmong people to refer to people of European descent.
Kurdishfransî
While in some Kurdish dialects Fransî means 'French' as a language, in some dialects it means 'France' as a country
Turkishfransızca
The word "Fransızca" can be traced back to the Arabic word "Faransawī" which means "Frankish" or "Western European".
Xhosaisifrentshi
The word 'IsiFrentshi' is also used to refer to the French language, even though Xhosa has its own word, 'isiFulentshi', for that.
Yiddishפראנצויזיש
The Yiddish word "פראנצויזיש" (French) derives from the Old French word "franceis", meaning "Frankish", referring to the Franks, a Germanic people who ruled much of Europe during the Middle Ages.
Zuluisifulentshi
IsiFulentshi is derived from the French phrase 'il est fluent', meaning 'he is fluent'. Zulu uses the shortened version of this phrase to refer to the French language.
Assameseফৰাচী
Aymarafrancés aru
Bhojpuriफ्रेंच भाषा के बा
Dhivehiފްރެންޗް ބަހުންނެވެ
Dogriफ्रेंच
Filipino (Tagalog)pranses
Guaranifrancés ñe’ẽme
Ilocanopranses nga
Kriofrɛnch
Kurdish (Sorani)فەڕەنسی
Maithiliफ्रेंच
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯐ꯭ꯔꯦꯟꯆ
Mizofrench tawng a ni
Oromoafaan faransaayii
Odia (Oriya)ଫରାସୀ
Quechuafrancés simipi
Sanskritफ्रेंचभाषा
Tatarфранцуз
Tigrinyaፈረንሳዊ
Tsongaxifurwa

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