How to Say Cat in French: Chat, Chaton and the Idioms They Star In
Cat in French is un chat /shah/ - silent t. Learn chaton (kitten), the chatte caution, minou, and the French cat idioms worth stealing.
Cat in French is un chat, pronounced /shah/ - the ch sounds like sh and the final t is silent. A kitten is un chaton, and minou is the affectionate “kitty.” For a female cat, chatte is correct but has a vulgar second meaning, so context matters.
Quick answer
Cat in French is un chat, pronounced /shah/ - the ch sounds like sh and the final t is silent. A kitten is un chaton, and minou is the affectionate “kitty.” For a female cat, chatte is correct but has a vulgar second meaning, so context matters.
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Chat: pronunciation and everyday use
/shah/ - not /tchat/, which is the English loanword French uses for online chatting (le tchat, or sometimes le chat, in that specific context - a fun coincidence with the animal word). The T is silent, following the standard final-consonant rule - see French pronunciation guide. Examples: j’ai deux chats (I have two cats), le chat dort sur le canapé (the cat is sleeping on the sofa).
Chatte, chaton, minou: the family
Une chatte is the standard, correct word for a female cat - and it also carries a vulgar slang meaning, much like some English animal words do. For a pet in ordinary conversation it’s usually fine in context, but many speakers default to chat + elle to sidestep any ambiguity, especially with strangers. Un chaton is a kitten, and un minou is a cutesy, child-friendly “kitty.” Un matou is specifically a tomcat.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chat | /shah/ | cat (general/male) |
| chatte | /shaht/ | female cat (also vulgar slang - context-dependent) |
| chaton | /shah-TOHN/ | kitten |
| minou | /mee-NOO/ | kitty (affectionate) |
| matou | /mah-TOO/ | tomcat |
Cat sounds and cat verbs
miauler (to meow), ronronner (to purr - the double-r roll is genuinely satisfying to say), griffer (to scratch), faire ses griffes (to sharpen its claws). The sound itself: le miaou.
The cat idioms (the goldmine)
French leans on cats for a surprising number of expressions: donner sa langue au chat (give up guessing), avoir un chat dans la gorge (a frog in your throat - a cat in French!), appeler un chat un chat (call a spade a spade), quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent (when the cat’s away, the mice will play), il n’y a pas un chat (not a soul around). See the fuller set in French idioms.
Bonus: dog rivalry teaser
Comme chien et chat (to fight like cat and dog) sets up the natural next stop - see how to say dog in French for the canine half of the story.
Everyday words, correctly pronounced
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Questions about this note
Is the t in chat pronounced?
No - /shah/; the feminine chatte does sound the final t.
What is a kitten in French?
un chaton.
What does minou mean?
Kitty - affectionate, common in child-directed speech.
What does "donner sa langue au chat" mean?
To give up guessing.
How do you say meow and purr?
miauler (meow), ronronner (purr).