Expressing Affection in French

6 min read

A list of French terms of endearment or nicknames to call your loved ones–from the silly, quirky to sweet and romantic. For men, women and kids!

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A Quick BackgroundFrench nicknames for men, women, and kidsNicknames for women and girls onlyFrench terms of endearment for men and boys onlyConclusionHere are some FAQs about French Terms of Endearment

Looking for something else to call your loved ones beside the usual nicknames like sweetie, honey, darling or sweetheart?Then perhaps we can interest you with their French counterparts; just like mon amour which is my love in French! This article lists down 80 French terms of endearment for the special man, woman, or little child in your life.

Not only are French words considered by many to be the epitome of romance, it will also help  you level up your game and steer you away from the tired and dull terms that everybody else uses.

A Quick Background

French terms of endearment are more than just mon amour or ma chèrie that you hear in movies. There are loads more where that came from.

In general, the French like to use words related to food and animals (perhaps because French people love food more than anything else and care deeply about pets, too). That, and of course, the truly romantic ones that are dripping with love. Ooh la la!

Gender Agreement

Take note that the possessive adjectives mon and ma which means “my” need to agree with the gender of the word being used in the terms of endearment and not with:

• the gender of the speaker, and
• not necessarily with the gender of the person you are speaking to.

This is why we say mon amour or mon coeur even to the ladies (for example, a man could call his wife mon amour). This is because the gender of the word amour is masculine and not because of the gender of the speaker or the person he is talking to.

For a little review of how French possessive adjectives work, check out this short article.

In general, the masculine terms of endearment work for both men and women, unless the word associated with it make it strictly for male (i.e. mon homme or my man). Female terms of endearment, however, can only be used for women.

To make it easier for you, we’ve segregated the terms based on its usage: whether it can be used for male, female, and children, or solely for men and boys, or for women and girls.

Using Petit/Petite

Another thing to remember is that you can basically add the word petit/petite (little) in most of the terms here. This will make it even cuter, such as ma petite chérie or mon petit chou.

English Equivalents

Some of the words here are direct translations from words you already know and use in the English language, but you’ll find that some can be quite quirky and silly. Take for example, ma crotte. It means something like “my poo” (or even worse, ‘turd’). Now that’s something you wouldn’t call someone in English, but in French it’s a sweet yet silly nickname.

French nicknames for men, women, and kids

• L’amour de ma vieLove of my life
• Ma crotteMy poo
• Mon rêveMy dream
• Ma moitiéMy (other) half
• Ma passionMy passion
• Ma perfectionMy perfection
• Ma puceMy flea
• Ma raison d’êtreMy reason for being
• Ma raison de vivreMy reason for living
• MamourMy love (shortened for mon amour)
• Mon amourMy love
• Mon amoureuxMy lover (does not necessarily have sexual connotation)
• Mon angeMy angel
• Mon bébéMy baby
• Mon biquetMy lamb
• Mon bonheurMy happiness
• Mon canardMy duck
• Mon chatonMy kitten
• Mon chouMy sweetie (lit. cabbage; my pastry)
• Mon chouchouMy favorite
• Mon ciel étoiléMy starry sky
• Mon cochonMy pig
• Mon cocoMy egg
• Mon coeurMy heart
• Mon destinMy destiny
• Mon étoileMy star
• Mon lapinMy rabbit
• Mon lapinouMy bunny
• Mon mignonMy cutie
• Mon mimiMy pussycat
• Mon poussinMy chick (baby chicken)
• Mon rayon de soleilMy ray of sunshine
• Mon sucre d’orgeMy barley sugar, candy cane
• Mon trésorMy treasure

Nicknames for women and girls only

• Ma belleMy beautiful
• Ma bibicheMy little doe
• Ma bicheMy doe
• Ma bichetteMy little doe
• Ma cailleMy quail
• Ma chèreMy dear
• Ma chèrieMy darling
• Ma choupinetteMy cutie
• Ma cocotteMy hen
• Ma colombeMy dove
• Ma douceMy sweet
• Ma féeMy fairy
• Ma fifilleMy little girl
• ma grandeMy big (girl)
• Ma lutineMy elf/ my pixie
• ma mieMy dear
• Ma minetteMy pussycat
• Ma petiteMy little love
• Ma petite sirèneMy little mermaid
• Ma pouleMy hen
• Ma poupéeMy little doll
• Ma poupetteMy dolly
• Ma princesseMy princess
• Ma tigresseMy tigress
• Mon bijouMy jewel

French terms of endearment for men and boys only

• Mon beauMy handsome
• Mon bébé d’amourMy baby love
• Mon cherMy darling
• Mon chériMy dear
• Mon grandMy big guy
• Mon hommeMy man
• Mon loulouMy little one
• Mon loupMy wolf
• Mon lutinMy elf
• Mon minetMy pussycat
• Mon nounoursMy teddy bear
• Mon oursMy bear
• Mon petitMy little love
• Mon petit canetonMy little duckling
• Mon petit chouMy little cabbage / chou
• Mon pouletMy chicken
• Mon princeMy prince
• Mon roméoMy romeo
• Mon supermanMy superman
• Mon tigreMy tiger
• Mon vilainMy naughty

You can also get this list in PDF format.

Conclusion

French nicknames can be sweet or silly or totally romantic. Which one is your favorite? And which one would you like to try out with your sweetheart? Feel free to share in the comments the French terms of endearment you like!

Check out some related readings here:

Romantic French Words and Phrases to Melt your Lover’s Heart

French for Parents 101: Baby Talk, Vocabulary Lists, and More!

Learn 20,000+ French words with our French Vocabulary Mastery Course.

Here are some FAQs about French Terms of Endearment

How do you say “my love” in French?

“I love you” in French is je t’aime.

How do you say “sweetheart” in French?

“Sweetheart” in French is chérie.

How do I say “Hello my love” in French?

To say “Hello my love” in French, you say Bonjour mon amour. Bonjour is “hello” and mon amour means “my love.”

How do I say “Good morning, my love” in French?

To say “Good morning, my love” in French, you say Bonjour, mon amour! Bonjour can mean “hello,” “hi,” or “good morning” and mon amour means “my love.”

How do you say “Goodnight, my love” in French?

“Goodnight, my love” in French is bonne nuit, mon amour. Bonne nuit means “good night” and mon amour is “my love.”

How do you say “I love you, my love” in French?

You say, “Je t’aime, mon amour” if you want to say “I love you, my love” in French.