{"id":119829,"date":"2023-01-30T08:54:59","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T13:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/animals-in-french\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T04:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T09:51:11","slug":"animals-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/animals-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"100+ Animals in French: Pets, Farm Animals and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re learning French, les animaux<\/em> (animals) have to be part of that process, too.\u00a0Luckily, learning the names of some of the world’s creatures is one of the more fun activities in any language.\u00a0Plus, many animal names in French have a variety of meanings beyond the simple and literal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this post, we’ll learn a whole herd of French animal names<\/strong> and provide places you can practice using them.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Les animaux domestiques<\/em> \u2014 Pets<\/h2>\n

\"animals-in-french-pets\"<\/a><\/p>\n

un chien <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a dog<\/p>\n

un chat <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a cat<\/p>\n

The feminine versions of the nouns for dog and cat are chienne<\/em> and chatte.<\/em><\/p>\n

However, these both have meanings that are potentially offensive or naughty-sounding depending on context, which you can probably figure out based on similar versions that exist in English.<\/p>\n

un cochon d’Inde <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a guinea pig<\/p>\n

un hamster <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a hamster<\/p>\n

un lapin <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a rabbit<\/p>\n

un poisson rouge <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a goldfish<\/p>\n

un poisson tropical <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a tropical fish<\/p>\n

un triton <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a newt<\/p>\n

une tortue <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a turtle<\/p>\n

un perroquet <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a parrot<\/p>\n

une perruche <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a parakeet<\/p>\n

un cacato\u00e8s <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a cockatoo<\/p>\n

une colombe <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a dove<\/p>\n

un canari <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a canary<\/p>\n

Les animaux de la ferme<\/em> \u2014 Farm animals<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"animals-in-french-farm-animals\"<\/p>\n

un cochon <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a pig<\/p>\n

A pig can also be called un porc<\/em>, and a sow is une truie<\/em>.<\/p>\n

un cheval <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a horse<\/p>\n

Be careful not to mix up the plural for cheval<\/em>, chevaux<\/em>, with the word for hair, which is cheveux<\/em>.<\/p>\n

un \u00e9talon<\/em><\/strong> \u2014 a stallion<\/p>\n

une jument<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 a mare<\/p>\n

une vache <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a cow<\/p>\n

Vache<\/em> and variations on it practically make up their own subcategory of French slang and colloquialisms. La vache!<\/em> is an expression used to express surprise. It’s sort of equivalent to “wow” or “damn” in English.<\/p>\n

un taureau <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a bull<\/p>\n

un poulet <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a chicken<\/p>\n

une poule<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 a hen<\/p>\n

un coq<\/strong> <\/em>\u2014 rooster<\/p>\n

un mouton <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a sheep<\/p>\n

un agneau<\/strong> \u2014<\/em> a lamb<\/p>\n

une ch\u00e8vre <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a goat<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e8vre<\/em> can also refer to goat’s cheese, but when this happens, it takes on the properties of a masculine noun.<\/p>\n

un \u00e2ne <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a donkey<\/p>\n

une mule <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a mule<\/p>\n

Les animaux sauvages<\/em> \u2014 Wild animals<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"animals-in-french-wild-animals\"<\/a><\/p>\n

un \u00e9cureuil <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a squirrel<\/p>\n

un blaireau <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a badger<\/p>\n

un tamia <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a chipmunk<\/p>\n

French Canadians have their own special word for chipmunks, un suisse<\/em>, which literally means “a Swiss” and may have to do with how chipmunks’ stripes resemble the uniforms of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

une souris <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a mouse<\/p>\n

As in English, this word can also refer to a computer mouse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

un rat <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a rat<\/p>\n

un furet <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a ferret<\/p>\n

un h\u00e9risson <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a hedgehog<\/p>\n

un renard <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a fox<\/p>\n

un cerf <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a stag<\/p>\n

une biche <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a doe (deer)<\/p>\n

un ours <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a bear<\/p>\n

un loup <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a wolf<\/p>\n

une girafe <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a giraffe<\/p>\n

un \u00e9l\u00e9phant <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an elephant<\/p>\n

un lion <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a lion<\/p>\n

un tigre <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a tiger<\/p>\n

un gu\u00e9pard <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a cheetah<\/p>\n

un babouin <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a baboon<\/p>\n

un gorille <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a gorilla<\/p>\n

un singe <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a monkey<\/p>\n

un chimpanz\u00e9 <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a chimpanzee<\/p>\n

un z\u00e8bre <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a zebra<\/p>\n

un serpent <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a snake<\/p>\n

un gecko <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a gecko<\/p>\n

un l\u00e9zard <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a lizard<\/p>\n

une grenouille <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a frog<\/p>\n

un\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>crapaud<\/i><\/b> <\/i><\/b>\u2014 a toad<\/p>\n

une loutre <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an otter<\/p>\n

un alligator <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an alligator<\/p>\n

un crocodile <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a crocodile<\/p>\n

Les animaux marins<\/em> \u2014 Sea animals<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"animals-in-french-sea-animals\"<\/a><\/p>\n

un poisson <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a fish<\/p>\n

des fruits de mer <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 shellfish (as food)<\/p>\n

Literally, “fruits of [the] sea.”<\/p>\n

un mollusque <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a mollusk<\/p>\n

une moule <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a mussel<\/p>\n

une hu\u00eetre <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an oyster<\/p>\n

une palourde <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a clam<\/p>\n

un homard <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a lobster<\/p>\n

un escargot <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a snail<\/p>\n

un crabe <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a crab<\/p>\n

une coquille Saint-Jacques <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a scallop<\/p>\n

Une coquille<\/em> by itself is just a shell. In English-language contexts, coquilles Saint-Jacques <\/em>suggests a particular preparation of scallops<\/a> involving a wine sauce and breadcrumbs. But in French, coquilles Saint-Jacques<\/em> refers to scallops themselves.<\/p>\n

une crevette <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a shrimp<\/p>\n

une carpe <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a carp<\/p>\n

un anchois <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an anchovy<\/p>\n

un thon <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a tuna<\/p>\n

un saumon <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a salmon<\/p>\n

un bar <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a bass<\/p>\n

un dor\u00e9 jaune <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a walleye<\/p>\n

un brochet <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a pike<\/p>\n

une truite <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a trout<\/p>\n

un maquereau <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a mackerel<\/p>\n

Be careful, because maquereau<\/em> can also mean “pimp,” and groseille \u00e0 maquereau<\/em> is “gooseberry.”<\/p>\n

un phoque <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a seal<\/p>\n

une baleine <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a whale<\/p>\n

un requin <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a shark<\/p>\n

un calamar <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a squid<\/p>\n

une pieuvre<\/em><\/strong> \/ un poulpe\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an octopus<\/p>\n

un morse <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a walrus<\/p>\n

une anguille <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an eel<\/p>\n

un manchot <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a penguin<\/p>\n

Some French speakers use the masculine word pingouin<\/em> to mean penguin, which is arguably incorrect<\/a> as this word was originally meant to refer to a great auk, a bird resembling a penguin that’s now extinct.<\/p>\n

Les oiseaux<\/em> \u2014 Birds<\/h2>\n

\"animals-in-french-birds\"<\/a><\/p>\n

un oiseau <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a bird<\/p>\n

un rouge-gorge <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a robin<\/p>\n

un moineau <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a sparrow<\/p>\n

une hirondelle <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a swallow<\/p>\n

un pic <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a woodpecker<\/p>\n

un\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00e9tourneau<\/i><\/b> <\/i><\/b>\u2014 a starling<\/p>\n

un merle <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a blackbird<\/p>\n

une corneille <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a crow<\/p>\n

un corbeau <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a raven<\/p>\n

It’s not always noted and people often get it wrong, but in French, the equivalent of “crow” is technically corneille<\/em><\/a>, and the equivalent of “raven” is corbeau<\/em>.<\/p>\n

un aigle <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an eagle<\/p>\n

un faucon <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a hawk<\/p>\n

un faucon <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a falcon<\/p>\n

un canard <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a duck<\/p>\n

une cigogne <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a stork<\/p>\n

une oie <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a goose<\/p>\n

un cygne <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a swan<\/p>\n

Les insectes<\/em> \u2014 Insects<\/h2>\n

\"animals-in-french-insects\"<\/a><\/p>\n

une fourmi <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 an ant<\/p>\n

une araign\u00e9e <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a spider<\/p>\n

un scarab\u00e9e <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a beetle<\/p>\n

un cafard <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a cockroach<\/p>\n

The French expression avoir le cafard<\/em> (literally “to have the cockroach”) means to feel down or depressed, or to “have the blues,” as we might say in English.<\/p>\n

une cigale <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a cicada<\/p>\n

une sauterelle <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a grasshopper<\/p>\n

une abeille <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a bee<\/p>\n

une gu\u00eape <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a wasp<\/p>\n

un moustique <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a mosquito<\/p>\n

une mouche <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a fly<\/p>\n

une puce <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a flea<\/p>\n

une libellule <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a dragonfly<\/p>\n

A Quick Note on Gender<\/h2>\n

Gender in French with animals can get a little complicated, because:<\/p>\n