Updated by Valentina Rampazzo on December 16, 2024
81 beautiful French words and phrases you should learn
French is often said to be the language of love, likely due to the many beautiful words it contains. From their sound to their meaning, such words add poetry when you’re speaking in French. Even though several of them are among the most difficult words to pronounce in French, learning them is well worth the effort. To get you started, here is our list of ten of the most beautiful words in French.
Words, despite being abstract, are considered beautiful at times. In the case of French, many words are labeled as such. How come? A few factors prompt people to define a word as ‘beautiful’:
Time to discover some of the most beautiful French terms out there!
| French | English |
| l’amour | love |
| la rêverie | daydream |
| enchanté(e) | enchanted/delighted |
| la douceur | sweetness |
| le frisson | shiver |
| baiser | kiss |
| la caresse | caress |
| la flamme | flame |
| la joie | joy |
| la sérénité | serenity |
| le coeur | heart |
| adorer | o adore |
| l’harmonie | harmony |
| la tendresse | tenderness |
| ravissant(e) | delightful/charming |
| French | English |
| le papillon | butterfly |
| l’étoile | star |
| la fleur | flower |
| la lune | moon |
| la forêt | forest |
| la rivière | river |
| la plage | beach |
| le soleil | sun |
| la rosée | dew |
| le ciel | sky |
| la brise | breeze |
| la cascade | waterfall |
| la neige | snow |
| l’oiseau | bird |
| la pluie | rain |
| French | English |
| la poésie | poetry |
| le reflet | reflection |
| la mélodie | melody |
| la palette | palette |
| la sculpture | sculpture |
| la nuance | shade/tone |
| l’émotion | emotion |
| l’ardeur | passion |
| l’ivresse | euphoria/intoxication |
| la muse | muse |
| l’éclat | sparkle |
| French | English |
| l’abeille | bee |
| l’amitié | friendship |
| l’apaisement | calm |
| la bise | kiss |
| la brindille | twig |
| la cachette | hiding place |
| chaleureux/euse | warm (personality) |
| chouchoter | to whisper |
| la confiance | trust |
| le dépaysement | positive feeling of disorientation when you are in a foreign place |
| la détente | relaxation |
| l’éclair | lightning |
| l’émerveillement | wonder/astonishment |
| l’étincelle | sparkle |
| le foyer | home |
| la frimousse | sweet kid’s face |
| la gourmandise | indulgence |
| la libellule | firefly |
| la matinée | morning |
| la merveille | marvel/wonder |
| le miel | honey |
| la panache | flamboyant confidence |
| le ruisseau | water stream |
| le tourbillon | windwhirl |
| French | English |
| Coup de foudre | Love at first sight (lit. bolt of lightning) |
| Être dans la lune | To daydream (lit. to be in the moon) |
| Quand on aime, on ne compte pas | When you love something or someone, you don’t worry about how much money you’re spending |
| Avoir un cœur d’artichaut | To be overly sentimental (lit. to have an artichoke heart) |
| Jeter l’éponge | To give up (lit. to throw the sponge) |
| Rentrer dans sa coquille | To retreat into one’s shell |
| Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter | To have bigger fish to fry (lit. to have other cats to whip) |
| Ne pas être dans son assiette | To not feel well (lit. to not be in one’s own plate) |
| Mettre la puce à l’oreille | To plant a suspicion (lit. to put a flea in one’s ear) |
| C’est pas la mer à boire | It’s not a big deal (lit. it’s not the sea – you have – to drink) |
| Les carottes sont cuites | It’s too late (lit. the carrots are cooked) |
| Chercher midi à quatorze heures | To overcomplicate things (lit. to look for midday at 2pm) |
| Tomber dans les pommes | To faint (lit. to fall on the apples) |
| En faire tout un fromage | To make a big deal out of nothing (lit. to make cheese out of everything) |
| Mettre de l’eau dans son vin | To compromise (lit. to put water in one’s wine) |
| Être dans de beaux draps | To in a difficult situation (lit. to be in some nice sheets) |
We could go on and on, but our list is a good start to give you a taste of some of the most beautiful words and expressions in French. You can learn their different meanings and practice their pronunciation, as well as some of the expressions they can appear in. It’s the surest way to fall in love with the language!
