flèche
/flɛʃ/feminine
The French word for arrow is flèche.
Flèche is used to describe both a physical projectile, such as one used in archery and a graphic symbol like an icon or pointer. You can use it in various specific contexts: Flèche de direction refers to a directional arrow found on road signs, Flèche d'archerie refers to an archery arrow, Flèche en carbone refers to a carbon arrow and Flèche en bois refers to a wooden arrow.
Meaning: symbol (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun flèche is feminine, so you must use feminine articles such as la or une when using it in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/flɛʃ/
Did you know?
- The French word flèche is a distant relative of the English word 'flitch', which refers to a side of bacon.
- In architecture, a flèche refers to the slender spire found on the top of a cathedral, such as the famous spire of Notre-Dame de Paris.
- In the context of hunting, a flèche is distinct from a carreau, which is a specifically heavy, bolt-like arrow used in crossbows.
Examples in context
- La flèche a manqué sa cible.The arrow missed its target.This sentence shows an arrow missing its target.Tatoeba #135461 by sacredceltic, translation #683959 by CK
- La flèche a atteint la cible.The arrow hit the target.This sentence shows an arrow hitting its target.Tatoeba #751348 by Cocorico, translation #324144 by CK
- Le temps file comme une flèche.Time flies like an arrow.This sentence uses the phrase to show how quickly time passes.Tatoeba #441686 by Archibald, translation #240403 by CM
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are looking at a map in a park.
- HugoOù est la flèche sur la carte ?Where is the arrow on the map?
- EmmaElle est juste ici, en bas.It is right here, at the bottom.
- HugoCette flèche indique la direction du sentier ?Does this arrow indicate the path direction?
- EmmaOui, elle montre le chemin à suivre.Yes, it shows the way to go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “arrow” translations and entries flèche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries flèche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
