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 |
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 |
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 |
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 !
