chat
/ʃa/masculine
The English word "cat" is chat in French. Wiktionary also lists chatte.
Meaning: domestic species (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| chat | /ʃa/ /tʃat/ |
masculine |
| chatte | /ʃat/ | feminine |
The term refers to the domestic species. Other related verbs in the language include caponner to mean raise anchor to cathead, as well as dégobiller, débecter and débequeter to mean vomit.
Which one should you use?
While chatte is the literal feminine form for a female cat, it is also a common vulgar slang term for female genitalia and should be used with caution. In contrast, chat is the masculine form.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of chat, add an 's', which remains silent in pronunciation.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃa/
Did you know?
- While 'chat' is the standard word for the animal, the French language uses the expression avoir un chat dans la gorge to say someone has a 'frog in their throat'.
- French uses the term chat in the expression donner sa langue au chat, which means to give up on guessing a riddle.
- The word chat appears in the term chat-hué, used to describe someone who has been booed or hissed off a stage.
Examples in context
- Il a un chat.He keeps a cat.This sentence is useful for showing how to use chat to indicate someone keeps a cat.Tatoeba #4696185 by sacredceltic, translation #302300 by CK
- Je suis un chat.I'm a cat.This sentence is useful for using chat to say someone is a cat.Tatoeba #2068378 by Aiji, translation #2068371 by shekitten
- J’ai eu un chat.I had a cat.Tatoeba #2231134 by Amastan, translation #2399176 by amazighgirl
- Dans mon quartier, il y a un beau chat.In my neighborhood, there is a beautiful cat.
- Je vais rentrer chez moi pour câliner mon minou.I'm going home to cuddle with my kitty.
- Ils ont adopté un adorable matou noir.They adopted an adorable black cat.
- 994 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are looking at a photo of a pet.
- GabrielEst-ce que c'est ton chat ?Is this your cat?
- EmmaOui, c'est mon petit chat.Yes, it is my little cat.
- GabrielIl est très mignon, ce chat.This cat is very cute.
- EmmaMerci, il est très calme.Thank you, he is very calm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cat” translations and entries chat, chatte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
