French Terms of Endearment: Romantic Expressions to Use with Your Partner

French is regarded as a romantic language, the language of love. It’s no surprise then that there is a rich array of French terms of endearment (surnoms amoureux in French). In fact, they have dozens and dozens of French pet names. One study by the French news magazine Le Pèlerin in 2009 found that 60% of French couples use terms of endearment for their partners. The French website, Topito, known for its comprehensive and entertaining lists, has this list of 200 French terms of endearment! In comparison, when I searched for Spanish and Italian terms of endearment, the most I found were a measly 80 and 90 terms of endearment respectively, proving that the romantic French are kings and queens of the endearments.  

Popular French terms of endearment 

In 2019, a chocolate confectionary company named Mon Chéri did a St Valentine’s survey of the French, asking them their favourite terms of endearment. Disappointingly for the company, mon chéri didn’t make the top 5. According to this survey, the five most popular French pet names in order were: 

1. Mon cœur: Literally this means ‘my heart’, and is roughly equivalent to ‘my darling’ or ‘my sweetheart’. This is a very romantic term, though it can also be used by parents towards their children. Note that because ‘cœur’ is masculine, you use the same form if your loved one is male or female.
2. Mon amour: The literal translation is ‘my love’, and is often used by romantic partners, but can also be used towards family members. Because ‘amour’ is masculine and starts with a vowel sound, you always use mon before it.
3. Mon bébé: Literally ‘my baby’, and like English can be used for romantic partners. It is however quite versatile and can also be used for children or even pets. Like mon cœur and mon amour, always use mon even if your object of affection is female.
4. Mon chaton: A chaton is a kitten, so this is an affectionate term that you can use for your partner, and also for children.
5. Mon doudou: A doudou is a comfort blanket, so the literal translation might be ‘my blankie’ or ‘my cuddly thing’. French children might give this name to a cuddly toy, but romantic partners also use it. It is often shortened to just doudou, and is unisex used for both male and female partners. However, in some French-speaking African and West Indian countries it is only used for women.  

10 years earlier, Le Pèlerin did their study, and they found that the most popular were: 

1. Mon chéri / ma chérie: Literally ‘my dear’. Although it is used mainly in romantic relationships it can also be used towards children or close friends. Note that if your partner is male, you use mon chéri, but if she is feminine you have to use ma chérie.
2. Another important thing to note. In English, we use the same word 'dear’ with a romantic partner or loved one, and also to convey respect (‘Dear Sir…’). The French do something similar but with a big difference, they change the spelling and pronunciation. So they use mon chéri and ma chérie for those they love, but mon cher and ma chère as a formal expression of respect.
3. Mon cœur
4. Mon bébé
5. Mon amour
6. Ma puce: ‘My flea’ is the literal meaning, which doesn’t seem so romantic. In fact, it is more commonly used with children, specifically girls, and sounds a bit old-fashioned now. 
7. Mon chaton
8. Doudou
9. Biche: Une biche is a doe (that’s a deer, a female deer). It is almost always used for a female partner, and like ma, puce is not as common nowadays.
10. Minou: Like chaton, this is another word for ‘kitten’ or ‘little cat’. Minou is masculine (eg mon minou), but it is almost always used for girls or women. A variant on minou is minette which is feminine (ma minette). As well as being a romantic term of endearment it is also a popular pet name, and you might even come across it as a given name. 

Most recently, earlier this year, the online language learning site, Preply, did its own survey and came up with this Top Five: 

1. Bébé: up from number 3 in 2019 and 2009. It also seems that using the possessive pronoun mon is not as popular as it was a few years ago.
2. Chéri / Chérie: making a comeback after dropping out of the top 5 in 2019.
3. Mon amour: the ever-popular French pet name has been top 3 in each of the last three surveys.
4. Mon cœur: has lost its 2019 title of most popular French term of endearment.
5. Chaton: has been a top 5 choice in the last two surveys. 

Animal terms of endearment 

The French love to compare their loved ones to animals – see chaton, puce, biche, and minou above. You can call your loved one almost any animal under the sun – for example, mon lapin (rabbit), mon colibri (hummingbird), mon tigre (tiger) – but listed below are the more popular ones. 

• Loulou: This romantic term of endearment is the diminutive form of loup, or ‘wolf, so an approximate literal translation might be ‘Wolfie'! This term is used by the French for their male partners and denotes a sort of virility. The equivalent but less common female term is loulette. 

• Ma poulette: The literal meaning is ‘my chicken’ or ‘my little hen’, and is used only for women or girls.
• Mon minet: Here’s another one for the boys. The literal translation is ‘my kitty’ or ‘my little cat’, so if you think your man is as cute as a kitten then this term of endearment will suit. The word is a variation of minot (see above). The word has evolved over time, and can now be used to describe a young, fashionable man (think ‘hipster’).
• Ma crevette: in English, calling someone a shrimp is usually a bit of an insult, but in French, it's for someone small but in a cute way. And if your partner is on the larger side, you can still use it, albeit ironically. 

Food terms of endearment 

After animals, food is the next most popular theme for French terms of endearment, especially if the food is sweet or luxurious.  

• Mon chou: Mon chou is one of the best-known French pet names because it can be literally translated as 'my cabbage', which seems an odd way to address a loved one. Actually, un chou à la crème is a delicious French cream puff, and so a suitably sweet nickname to give your romantic partner, man or woman. 
• Ma cocotte: The literal meaning is ‘my casserole pot’. It is commonly used for girls or women, mainly by romantic partners but sometimes by parents. It is perhaps more common in Canadian French than in France.
• Mon bonbon: The literal translation is ‘my sweet’ or ‘my candy’ and can be used for both men and women (but always use mon regardless of gender). 
• Ma truffe: The truffle is a prized culinary delicacy that is both rare and expensive, and so in French minds makes an ideal romantic term of endearment. It can be used for both men and women but use ma regardless of the gender of the person you are addressing.
• Mon sucre d’orge: Sucre d’orge translates as ‘barley sugar’, and is what the French call a candy cane. 

Precious terms of endearment 

Another way that the French express their love for someone is by comparing them to something precious and valuable. 

• Mon trésor: It translates as ‘my treasure’, and can be used for both men and women, as well as for children.  
• Mon bijou: Un bijou is a jewel, is used as a romantic term of endearment for both men and women and can also be used for pets.

• Ma perle rare: Literally ‘my rare pearl’ it is more likely to be found in poems and romance novels. It is typically used for women. 
• Mon pierre précieuse: ‘My precious stone’, so a handy generic nickname covering les diamants (diamonds, les émeraudes (emeralds), les opales (opals) and les rubis (rubies). 

Other classic French pet names 

Then there are the popular terms of endearment that don’t fit any particular category. 

• Mon ange: ‘My angel’ is the literal translation and it can be used in both romantic or familial contexts.  
• Mon prince/ma princesse: Like the English ‘my prince’ and ‘my princess’ these words of endearment can be used for romantic partners or for children.
• Mon soleil: The direct translation is ‘my sun’, though in English we might say ‘my sunshine’ for someone who brings warmth and light into our life.  

Weird surnoms amoureux 

French terms of endearment don’t have to be traditional and serious. The French like to have fun with the nicknames they give to their loved ones. Here’s just a short list of some of the fun ones French lovers have been known to call each other. 

• Mon trognon: Trognon is literally the core of a piece of fruit. I’m not sure if I see the romance as it’s the part that gets thrown in the compost bin.
• Ma tartiflette: We noted above that the French like their culinary nicknames. Tartiflette is a dish made of potatoes, cheese and bacon, and is considered a comfort food.
• Mon saucisson: My sausage, and used for both men and women. It’s usually used in a playful or humourous manner.
• Nain / naine: The literal meaning is ‘dwarf’, so used for a small or cute lover.
• Ma pantoufle: Slippers are comfy and familiar so I imagine that’s how it came to be a French term of endearment.
• Mon andalouse: Andalusia is a region in the south of Spain, known for its beauty and charm. It is also the birthplace of the romantic flamenco dance, so a fitting name to give a loved one. Note that andalouse is feminine (mon is used because it begins with a vowel), so is a term of endearment for women only. (The masculine form if you must use it is mon andalou).
• Mon bisounours:  In the 80s, the Care Bears became an international hit, including in France, with their line of toys and TV cartoon series. The literal translation is ‘kiss bear’.
• Ma mante religieuse: Literally ‘praying mantis’, this one is used, you would hope, jokingly for a female partner, because I think we all know what the female praying mantis does to the male, and it’s not very romantic!
• Mon petit vampire: My little vampire is another playful and teasing term of endearment. It would be especially suitable for a partner who likes to stay up late at night or has a mischievous nature.

Words of endearment in French to avoid 

Some French pet names have double meanings so be careful. Some of the female pet names are now considered a bit sexist too. In addition, the Preply survey mentioned above also asked its respondents their least favourite nicknames. Ma puce surprisingly was one of the least popular (when 15 years ago it was one of the most popular), as was ma vie and lapin. And remember while some people love to use these terms of endearment, there will be others who find them corny and cringeworthy! 

How French terms of endearment are formed 

French terms of affection often follow a simple formula. Take some small, cute, delicious and/or precious thing. Add ma or mon at the beginning. To make the term of endearment even cuter, add petit or petite before the noun. 

Another way is to add a diminutive to the noun, like -ette, -ot, -in. So mon chou (my cabbage) can become even more affectionate as ma choupette, ma choupinette, or ma chouquette. Ma poule (hen) can also be mon poussin. Minou is another cute version of minet (kitten). 

A final way that the French make their words of endearment even sweeter is by repeating the sound. Loup (wolf) becomes loulou, chou becomes chouchou, puce (flea) becomes pupuce, and mon ours (bear) becomes mon nounours. 

A French pet names musical playlist 

Now that you've learned some French endearments, a good way to immerse yourself a bit deeper is to listen to some popular French music where terms of endearment are prominent. Here’s a short playlist to get you started: 

1. "Mon Amour" by Stromae. 
2. "Ma Chérie" by DJ Antoine ft. The Beat Shakers
3. "Mon Cœur, Mon Amour" by Anaïs 
4. "Ma Douce" by Christophe Maé.
5. "Ma Belle" by Gims 
6. "Mon Soleil" by Dadju. 

Another excellent way to immerse yourself in French is through Newsdle, a learning platform that offers graded lessons based on current French affairs. The platform provides articles tailored to different proficiency levels, making it easier to understand and enjoy French news. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, Newsdle helps you enhance your vocabulary and comprehension in a real-world context. 

Author 

Nick Dennis 

Nick is an English teacher who has taught English as a Foreign Language in China, Italy and France. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Modern Languages), majoring in French, from the University of New South Wales. He loves travel, reading and football and, of course, learning languages. Four years ago, Nick and his wife co-founded an online English language school targeted at the Chinese market (since sold to Chinese investors). He has also ghost-written the autobiography of a well-known Australian horse trainer.

Extensive reading in French will not only unlock the beauty of the French language but also gain insights into its culture and heritage. Happy reading, and enjoy exploring new worlds through the pages of French texts!