bi
/bi/
The French word bi means bisexual.
bi is used as an adjective to describe someone who is bisexual.
Meaning: bisexual (adj)
Which one should you use?
The term bi is an informal shortening of the words bisexuel (masculine) or bisexuelle (feminine). You may also see the phrase Bi tout court, which translates to "plain bi."
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, bi is invariable in gender and number, which means it does not change when referring to masculine, feminine or plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/bi/
Did you know?
- The word bi may have been borrowed directly from English rather than evolving solely from the French word bisexuel.
- In some French contexts, the term pansexuel is used to distinguish attraction to all genders from the specific attraction to two or more genders implied by bi.
- While bi is used for sexuality, the prefix bi- in French often appears in terms like bilingue or binoculaire. This mirrors the Latin root meaning 'two' which is shared with English.
Examples in context
- Elle est grande et bisexuelle.She's bi and large.Tatoeba #10648049 by Rovo, translation #10646763 by shekitten
- Tom est bi.Tom is bi.Tatoeba #8679794 by Micsmithel, translation #4436142 by shekitten
- Son film préféré de Takeshi Kitano est Hana-bi.His favorite movie from Takeshi Kitano is Hana-bi.The third sentence contains the word bi as part of a name.Tatoeba #11726199 by Cabo, translation #11726195 by Cabo
- Pierre est bi-curieux et souhaite explorer ses sentiments envers toutes les personnes, peu importe leur genre.Pierre is bi-curious and wants to explore his feelings towards anyone, regardless of their gender.
- Lucie dit qu'elle est simplement bi tout court, sans se soucier des étiquettes.Lucie says she is just plain bi, without caring about labels.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are discussing a new character in a TV show.
- EmmaTu penses que le personnage est bi ?Do you think the character is bi?
- HugoOui, il est clairement bi dans la série.Yes, he is clearly bi in the series.
- EmmaC'est très bien de le montrer.It is very good to show that.
- HugoJe suis d'accord avec toi, Emma.I agree with you, Emma.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bi” translations and entries bi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
