133 cute & funny nicknames + terms of endearment in French

Some hate them. Some love them. Whatever your opinion on nicknames is, they are often here to stay. And French is no exception.

From French terms of endearment for friends to boyfriend and girlfriend nicknames in French, chances are you’ll need them at some point in your French learning journey.

There are many reasons why nicknames are cool:

  • Nicknames make people seem friendlier and more approachable.
  • Some of the most successful people in the world have nicknames. Think about Steve Jobs, J. Lo, Bill Gates, The King, and many others!
  • Finding your own (nice!) nickname for someone you care about creates a bond with this person.
  • For people with names 3 syllables or longer, or foreign, unusual names, nicknames come in very handy to introduce yourself — writing from my own experience, as nobody remembers my name properly in countries like France or Spain.
  • Knowing some cute nicknames in French will help you make francophone friends and probably make them laugh.
  • Nicknames can allow you to be anonymous.
  • And many more!

So, whether your nickname is the Rossatron or Regina Phalange, keep reading for some cool French nicknames!

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Terms of endearment in French

In French, “I love you” is mostly for couples going steady. If you’re not there yet or looking for nicknames in French that are more suitable for family members or friends, we have you covered!

Boyfriend nicknames in French

Do you want to surprise your francophone boyfriend with a super cool pet name? Or do you want to learn French terms of endearment for your boyfriend just to impress your sweetheart? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Additionally,don’t miss these romantic quotes in French.

English French IPA Note/Context
My cabbage (also a French pastry) Mon chou mõ ʃu If you’ve never had a “chou à la crème” or “petit chou,” go to the nearest boulangerie or pâtisserie!
My handsome Mon beau mõ bo
My wolf Mon loup mõ lu
My prince Mon prince mõ pɾɛ̃sə
My bear Mon ours mõn‿ uɾ
My teddy bear Mon nounours mõ nunuɾ Usually for big but sensitive guys.
My duck Mon canard mõ kanaɾ
My rabbit Mon lapin mõ lapɛ̃
My chicken Mon poulet mõ pule
My man Mon homme mõ ɔmə
My guy Mon mec mõ mɛk
My love Mon amour mõn‿ amuɾ
My heart Mon cœur mõ kœɾ
No translation Mon loulou mõ lulu
My baby Mon bébé mõ bebe
My other half Ma moitié ma mwatje
My lover Mon amoureux mõn‿ amuɾø
My dear Mon chéri mõ ʃeɾi
Mylove Mamour mamuɾ
My angel Mon ange mõn‿ ɑ̃ʒə
My treasure Mon trésor mõ tɾezɔɾ
No translation Mon doudou mõ dudu Comes from Creole.
My chick Mon poussin mõ pusɛ̃
My cat Mon chat mõ ʃa Beware of the feminine version of this. While it means female cat, it also means something else in French slang.
My other Mon autre mõn‿ otɾə
My guy Mon chum mõ ʃœ̃ Québec only
My king Mon roi mõ ɾwa Learn more royalty vocab in French here.
My Romeo Mon Roméo mõ ɾɔmeo
My lamb Mon biquet mõ bike
My reason for living Ma raison de vivre ma ɾɛzõ də vivɾə
My reason for being Ma raison d’être ma ɾɛzõ dɛtɾə
My Valentine Mon Valentin mõ valɑ̃tɛ̃
My valiant knight Mon preux chevalier mi valjɑ̃ kni Funny, very “middle-age”
My prince charming Mon prince charmant mõ pɾɛ̃sə ʃaɾmɑ̃
No translation Mon Jules mõ ʒylə

Happy laughing couple at home on couch calling each other terms of endearment in French.

Girlfriend nicknames in French

We can’t have boyfriend nicknames in French without girlfriend nicknames in French. So, because equality matters, here is a full table dedicated only to us, queens of the world. Yes, that’s what Jack says in Titanic — listen again.

English French IPA Note/context
My heart Mon cœur mõ kœɾ
My baby Mon bébé mõ bebe
My love Mon amour mõn‿ amuɾ
My other half Ma moitié ma mwatje
My sweet Ma douce ma dusə
My hen Ma poule ma pulə
My tigress Ma tigresse ma tigɾɛsə For a feisty woman
My doe Ma biche ma biʃə
My little doe Ma bichette ma biʃɛtə
My quail Ma caille ma kajə Not the most flattering in my opinion
My princess Ma princesse ma pɾɛ̃sɛsə
My lover Mon amoureuse mõn‿ amuɾøzə
My rabbit Mon lapin mõ lapɛ̃
My duck Mon canard mõ kanaɾ
My dear Ma chérie ma ʃeɾjə
My angel Mon ange mõn‿ ɑ̃ʒə
My treasure Mon trésor mõ tɾezɔɾ
No translation Mon doudou mõ dudu From Creole.
My chick Mon poussin mõ pusɛ̃
My beauty Ma beauté ma bote
No translation Ma choute ma ʃutə
My dove Ma colombe ma kɔlõbə
My flea Ma puce ma pysə
My sugar candy Mon sucre d’orge mõ sykɾə dɔɾʒə
My beautiful Ma belle ma bɛlə More compliments in French here.
My rose Ma rose ma ɾozə
My other Mon autre mõn‿ otɾə
No translation Ma louloutte ma lulutə
My blond Ma blonde ma blõdə
My queen Ma reine ma ɾəinə
My kitten Mon chaton mõ ʃatõ
My little bird Mon petit oiseau mõ pətit‿ wazo
My lamb Ma biquette ma bikɛtə
My reason for living Ma raison de vivre ma ɾɛzõ də vivɾə
My reason for being Ma raison d’être ma ɾɛzõ dɛtɾə
My little wife Ma petite femme ma pətitəfamə
My goddess Ma déesse ma deɛsə Now you’re talking.
My Valentine Ma Valentine ma valɑ̃tinə
My sweetheart Ma dulcinée ma dylsineə

French nicknames for your grandmother and grandfather

Grandparents can be an important part of your life, and deserve a dedicated section. The table below gathers the most typical nicknames for grandparents in France.

English French IPA Note/Context
Granny Mémé meme Learn more family vocab in French here.
Grandad Pépé pepe
Grandma Mamie mamjə
Grandpa Papi papi
Nana Mamé mame
Papa Papé pape
Meemaw Mamou mamu
Papaw Papou papu
Grammie Manette manɛtə
Grampie Pépère pepɛɾə

Cute elderly couple holding bouquet of flowers smiling at their grandma and grandpa nicknames in French.


Funny French nicknames

Nicknames can be adorable, but they can also be a real nightmare when you don’t like them. They tend to stick around like gum on a shoe, and the only way to fight back is… with more nicknames!

Below is a selection of funny French, but (almost) always friendly nicknames. Amusez-vous bien !

English French Relationship IPA Note/Context
My money Ma pépette Usually for a little girl or a girlfriend. ma pepɛtə
My little monster Mon petit monstre Usually for kids. mõ pəti mõstɾə
My big (tall) boy/girl Mon grand/ma grande Usually for kids or friends. mõ gɾɑ̃d/ma gɾɑ̃də
My jewel Mon bijou Usually for kids, but can also be for a woman. mõ biʒu
My truffle Ma truffe Usually for kids or friends. ma tɾyfə While “truffe” means “truffle”, it can also mean a dog’s nose!
My pot Ma cocotte For a female friend or family member. ma kɔkɔtə
My otter Ma loutre Usually for female friends ma lutɾə This term is also used by the gay community
My quiche Ma quiche Usually for a friend. ma kiʃə
No translation Mon loulou Usually for kids, but can also be used for a man. mõ lulu
No translation Ma louloutte Usually for kids, but can also be used for a woman. ma lulutə
No translation Lilou For kids, friends or a love interest (female). lilu
Boss Chef Usually for friends. ʃɛf
Champion Champion Usually for friends, kids or family members. ʃɑ̃pjõ
Cousin Cousin/Cousine For cousins, but not necessarily. kuzin/kuzinə
Bro/Sis Frangin/Frangine For siblings. fɾɑ̃ʒin/fɾɑ̃ʒinə
Brother Frérot For brothers. fɾeɾo
Dude Mec For a male friend. mɛk
My buddy Mon/ma pote For friends. mɔn/ma pɔtə
My sauerkraut Ma choucroute Usually for friends. ma ʃukɾutə
My rusk bread Ma biscotte Usually for kids. ma biskɔtə
My bottle cork Mon bouchon Usually for kids. mõ buʃõ
My egg Mon coco For a male friend or family member. mõ kɔko
My groundhog Ma marmotte Usually for kids or a friend. ma maɾmɔtə
My worm Mon ver de terre Usually for babies and toddlers. mõ ve də tɛrə
My big (fat) Mon gros Usually for friends who won’t get offended. mõ gɾo
My complainer Mon râleur/ma râleuse Usually for friends or couples. mõ ɾɑlœɾ/ma ɾɑløzə French people love to complain, it’s almost like a compliment!
My pig Mon cochon For friends. mõ kɔʃõ
My rock Mon roc For good friends, family members or couples. mõ ɾɔk
Old branch Vieille branche For an old friend. vjɛjə bɾɑ̃ʃə
My frog Ma grenouille Usually for kids. ma gɾənwijə
No translation Biloute For friends. bilutə Used in Northern France.
Carebear Bisounours For your sensitive/overly positive friends. bizunuɾ

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Cute nicknames in French

This section is mostly dedicated to the little ones, with an adorable selection of pet names. Trop mignon !

English French Relationship IPA Note/Context
My little doll Ma poupette For little girls. ma pupɛtə
My doll Ma poupée For little girls. ma pupeə
My fairy Ma fée For little girls. ma feə
My little bit Mon petit bout For kids. mõ pəti bu
My miracle Mon miracle For kids. mõ miɾaklə
My star Mon étoile For kids. mõn‿ etwalə
My sun beam Mon rayon de soleil For kids. mõ ɾɛjõ də sɔlɛj
My light Ma lumière For kids. ma lymjɛɾə
My sun Mon soleil For kids. mõ sɔlɛj
My pearl Ma perle For kids. ma pɛɾlə
My flower Ma fleur For kids. ma flœɾ
My candy apple Ma pomme d’amour For kids. ma pɔmə damuɾ
No translation Choupette For a little girl. ʃupɛtə
Little crumb Petite miette For kids. pətitə mjɛtə
My little koala Mon petit koala For kids. mõ pəti koala
My perfection Ma perfection For kids. ma pɛɾfɛksjõ
My rainbow Mon arc en ciel For kids. mõn‿ aɾkɑ̃ sjɛl

Little boy and corgi reading a book about cute nicknames in French for pets and children.

Allez mes petits chous, it’s time to wrap up our article on terms of endearment in French!

And if you’re feeling romantic with all these pet names, don’t miss these sweet ways to say I love you in French and these French quotes about l’amour. Remember to keep up the fun and free French vocab learning on our French blog.

Un vrai Bisounours !

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