French Onomatopoeia: 25 Funny French Words for Written Sounds (+PDF)

4 Comments

Last Updated: June 6, 2023

Follow Us Now

Learn French on Your Own with…

Sign up below to get started:

Bonjour ! In this lesson, we'll be talking about French onomatopoeia. Most of you might find the need to use these funny French words in a conversation, so here's a rundown of what's covered in this article.

onomatopoeia-french-vs-english-blogBut before we dive into today’s lesson, let me address the elephant in the room. Some are probably asking:

French Onomatopoeia

Onomato-WHAT?

OK, it does sound like a big scary word, but onomatopoeia is just a figure of speech that mimics the sound of an item it describes. It is the “written sound”. 

In French it is called une onomatopée. 

I'm sure you've been using them everyday---made-up words that are based on how they actually sound. For example, boom! for a loud crash, tick-tock for the sound of the clock, vroom for the sound of an engine, meow for the sound a cat makes or zzzz for sleeping.

french onomatopea

Onomatopoeia comes from the Greek words ”onoma”  which means name and “poio” which means to create. There is a wide range of sounds covered under the onomatopoeia blanket.

These include sounds made by:

  • Animals
  • Machines / devices
  • Movements/ human sounds
  • and so on

The funny thing is, while the different onomatopoeia sound quite natural in your own language, the sounds vary and become more and more hilarious as you go to different parts of the world. For example, a loud evil cackle is a KÄKÄTTÄÄ  in Finnish.  And pigs in Georgia don’t say oink, oink, they say ghrutu ghrutu.

Sound weird? Wait till you see this list of French onomatopoeia listed side by side with their English counterparts.

You’ll encounter some of these as you read a variety of texts in French: it often appears in comic books (bandes dessinées), cartoons (dessins animés) as well as children’s books (livres pour enfants).

See also: 15 Great Comics to Learn French

Get the list of French Onomatopoeia in PDF

No time to read now? You can also download the longer version of this list of French onomatopoeia by signing up below. 

Let’s check out these fun French words!

French Onomatopoeia for Human sounds

1. Sleeping sound in French: Ron-ron

The French don’t really catch some Z’s, but some R’s instead. Even better than ron-ron, the snoring sound in French is actually called a ron-pshi to mimic the sound of a loud inhale and exhale.

2.Sound of baby's cry in French: ouin-ouin

The sound French babies make when they cry is called a ouin-ouin. Sounds more positive than the wailing sound of a wah-wah, no?

3. Expression of pain in French: aïe !

Did you stub your toe or step on an errant piece of lego? Ow, that hurts! The French would say aïe ! instead of ouch!

4. Sound of drinking water in French: glou-glou

One could argue that the sound French people make when they drink-- glou-glou -- is a tad quieter than the standard glug-glug..

5. Sneezing sound in French: atchoum

Feeling sneezy? The French call it atchoum.

6. Sound of a beating heart in French: poum-poum

In French, a beating heart makes a poum-poum sound instead of thump-thump.

7. Quiet sound in French: chut

Being noisy in a French library? You'll likely hear a "chut !" In English, it’s simply sshhhh!. But shushing someone in French is chut.

8. Sound of disgust in French: beurk

See something disgusting? The French don't say yuck. They would say beurk ! or berk !

9. Eating sound in French: miam-miam

Alas, someone brought out a mouth-watering French pastry. Miam-miam!

10. Kissing sound in French: smack!

Now this is weird because smack! in English means someone just slapped the bejeezus out of you. If your French date texts you smack right after you went out, don't take it to mean he or she is into some form of domestic violence.

The sound of a slap in French is called paf, vlan or pof !

bilingual French-English Stories with Audio

  • Enjoy reading and listening to ten short stories with a delightful fantasy element.
  • Read the stories in parallel text. Written in both French and English for easier comprehension.  
  • Learn new vocabulary and grammar structures naturally.
  • Perfect for kids ages 6-12 years old; great for adults, too!

French onomatopoeia for sounds made by objects


11. Sound of a clock in French

tic-tac

This is the sound the clock makes: tic-tac in French while it’s tick-tock in English. Close enough, right?

12. Sound of a ringing phone in French

dring-dring

In French there’s a couple of extra d’s in the sound of a phone ringing.

Dring! Get the phone, s'il vous plaît !

13. Sound of a gunshot in French

pan-pan!

Sound weird to you? It sure does. The sound of a gunshot is pan-pan in French!

14.  Ambulance siren sound in French

pin-pon

Would you have guessed that pin-pon is the ambulance sound in French? Quite different from wee-woo in English.

15. Sound of a doorbell in French

dingue-dongue

Speak, Listen, and Write French like a Native with Talk in French Complete Courses

  • Learn French on your own terms with our comprehensive, self-paced beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses, each with a step-by-step plan tailored to your level.
  • Master French pronunciation and sound like a native with our pronunciation course.
  • Receive personalized feedback and guidance from a dedicated French teacher.

Yes this is the sound of a doorbell ringing. And yes, come to think of it, the French one is just a Frenchy version with the extra ue of the English ding-dong sound!

16. Sound of object falling to the ground in French

patatra

Something fell to the ground and made a huge noise. Patatra ! the French would say. The English would probably be scratching their head and thinking how it sounded more like a kaboom! or splat! ? 

17. Sound of object falling into water in French

plouf

The splashing sound an object makes when it falls into water is plouf in French.

French Onomatopoeia for Animal Sounds

18. Sound of a pig in French

Groin-groin

What sound does a pig make? The French say it’s not oink-oink but groin-groin !

19. Sound of a duck in French

coin-coin

French ducks don’t quack, the say coin-coin !

20. Sound of a frog in French

croac-croac

Which one sounds more accurate? Is it the French’s croac-croac or is it ribbit? You be the judge!

21. Sound of a snake in French

siff

Instead of hissing, the French would say le serpent siffle. The verb siffler is also used to say “to whistle”. So do you think the snake makes a sort of whistling sound? Scary thought, come to think about it.

22. Cat's meowing sound in French

miaou

Just a little variation in the spelling, but close enough.

23. Dog barking sound in French

ouah-ouah

When French dogs bark, it’s ouah ouah or ouaf ouaf! Not woof-woof or bow-wow like the English say!

24. Horse's whinny in French

hiiiiii

No, it’s not the sound of an adolescent girl saying an over-extended ‘hi’to her friends. It’s a French sound for the whinny of a horse.

25. Sound a rooster makes in French

cocorico

Finally, the last one on the list is the sound a rooster makes which happens to be among the most difficult animal sound humans ever had to decipher. While English people would call it a lengthy cock-a-doodle-doo, in French it’s simply cocorico !

Bonus: What sound do hens make in French? 

We’ve talked about the sound of a rooster. But how about the sound of a hen? In French, it is cot-cot-cot, cot-cot-codet ! Quite accurate, don’t you think?

Want more funny French onomatopoeia? Click the button below to download the full--and longer--list in PDF! Total of 61 items on the list! Get it now!

Conclusion

Did you enjoy this list of French onomatopoeia? How do you say those sounds in your native language? Feel free to share it with us and let us know any other funny French words in the comments! 

10 Bilingual Tales in English and French

FRENCH-ENGLISH FAIRY TALES TO BOOST YOUR READING AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION

  • Read and listen to the stories in dual language
  • Enjoy a mix of popular and unknown fairy tales 
  • Learn new vocabulary and grammar structures naturally 
  • Sharpen your reading comprehension hand-in-hand with your listening skills

Pin this!

french onomatopoeia

Here are some FAQs about French Onomatopoeia

What sounds do French animals make?

A few examples of French animal onomatopoeia include the horse’s whinny as hiiiii, a dog’s barking as ouah-ouah, and a rooster’s cocorico over the English cock-a-doodle-doo!

Does the French language have onomatopoeia?

Yes! Onomatopoeias (or in French, l’onomatopée) refer to a written word representing a sound, like the way in English a door closes with a “click,” or a canetaps” on the floor. The French language has its own onomatopoeia, with unique words for sounds. For example, cats say meow in English, but miaou in French!

What do birds say in French?

Certain feathered friends have their own unique onomatopoeia, such as the chicks’ piou-piou, the pigeons’ rou rou, and the turkeys’ glou-glou. But in general, birds make the ciu-ciu sound in French!

Do French cows say “moo”?

Nope! In English, yes; but in French, cows meuh!

About the author 

Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

    >

    Get our Free French Study Guide

    The ultimate (& free) roadmap to master the French language. Save countless hours of ineffective study. Designed to keep your motivation high.