Animals in French: Pets, Farm and Wild, With Sounds
Animals in French by category - pets, farm, wild - with pronunciation, gender, and the animal sounds French uses instead of English "moo" and "woof."
Common animals in French include un chat (cat), un chien (dog), une vache (cow), un cheval (horse), un oiseau (bird) and un ours (bear). French animal sounds differ from English too: a duck says coin-coin, not quack, and a rooster says cocorico.
Quick answer
Common animals in French include un chat (cat), un chien (dog), une vache (cow), un cheval (horse), un oiseau (bird) and un ours (bear). French animal sounds differ from English too: a duck says coin-coin, not quack, and a rooster says cocorico.
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Pets (les animaux de compagnie)
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| un chat | cat |
| un chien | dog |
| un poisson | fish |
| un oiseau | bird |
| un lapin | rabbit |
| un hamster | hamster |
For deep dives on the first two, see cat in French and dog in French.
Farm animals (les animaux de la ferme)
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| une vache | cow |
| un cheval | horse |
| un cochon | pig |
| un mouton | sheep |
| une poule | hen |
| un canard | duck |
Wild animals (les animaux sauvages)
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| un loup | wolf |
| un renard | fox |
| un ours | bear |
| un cerf | deer |
| un écureuil | squirrel |
| un phoque | seal |
For phoque’s own surprising pronunciation story, see phoque, seal in French.
What animals say in French
| Animal | French sound |
|---|---|
| chat (cat) | miaule |
| chien (dog) | aboie |
| vache (cow) | meugle |
| canard (duck) | fait coin-coin |
| coq (rooster) | fait cocorico |
Animal vocabulary, fully pronounced
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Questions about this note
How do you say pet in French?
un animal de compagnie.
What does a French duck say?
coin-coin (not "quack").
How do you say bird in French?
un oiseau.
What's the French word for cow?
une vache.
How do you say wild animal?
un animal sauvage.