133 cute & funny nicknames + terms of endearment in French

Key takeaways

• Common French terms of endearment for partners include mon chou, mon amour, ma chérie, ma belle, ma puce, and mon bébé.
• The article groups nicknames by relationship—boyfriend/girlfriend, grandparents, kids, pets—and also offers cute and funny options like mon lapin, mon nounours, and Bisounours.
• It notes regional and cultural variants (Québec chum, Creole doudou) and gives IPA pronunciations and context so you use them appropriately.
• Be aware some are gendered or slangy (watch words like chat) and the guide emphasizes nicknames help build rapport and are common in everyday 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!

Are you just starting your French language journey? Download our complimentary French language essentials eBook here.

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 !