How to Say "Boulder" in French

rocher

/ʁɔ.ʃe/masculine

The English word 'boulder' translates to French as rocher. Wiktionary also lists boulder.

Meaning: large mass of stone (noun)

Ways to say it

“boulder” in French
French	IPA	Note
rocher	/ʁɔ.ʃe/	masculine
boulder		masculine

The word refers to a large mass of stone.

While rocher refers to a large boulder, the word caillou refers to a small pebble or stone.

The plural form of rocher is rochers.

The word is pronounced /ʁɔ.ʃe/ and consists of 2 syllables.

The word rocher is used in the name of a famous chocolate treat called Rocher, which mimics the bumpy surface of a boulder.
In French, the term rocher can describe not just a boulder but an entire rocky island or outcrop rising from the sea.
While rocher means boulder, the root word roche is used in French to describe 'rock' as a material, similar to how 'stone' is used in English.

C'est plus petit qu'un rocher et plus grand qu'un caillou.
It's smaller than a boulder and larger than a pebble.
This sentence is useful for comparing the size of a rocher to a pebble.
Tatoeba #10366541 by lbdx, translation #8775132 by moman
Ziri est monté sur le rocher.
Ziri climbed the boulder.
This sentence describes someone climbing a rocher.
Tatoeba #12208939 by hustledynamo, translation #11224563 by Amastan
Je me suis caché derrière un rocher.
I hid behind a boulder.
This sentence describes someone hiding behind a rocher.
Tatoeba #13581160 by madjidoumnia, translation #13859952 by tieguy
Nous sommes montés sur les grandes pierres dans la rivière.
We climbed on the big boulders in the river.
Regarde le gros caillou dans le jardin!
Look at the big boulder in the garden!

Manon and Lucas are hiking in the mountains.

Sources

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