How to Say "Chimney" in French

cheminée

/ʃə.mi.ne/feminine

The English word "chimney" translates to cheminée in French.

The term cheminée refers to a vertical tube or hollow column, such as a flue. It is also used to refer to the entire fireplace structure.

Meaning: vertical tube or hollow column, a flue (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

The noun cheminée is feminine. It uses feminine articles like une cheminée and is paired with feminine adjectives, such as petite cheminée.

The word is pronounced /ʃə.mi.ne/ and has 3 syllables.

The word cheminée comes from the Latin camīnus, meaning 'furnace'. This links it to the Ancient Greek word kámīnos for a kiln.
The English word 'chimney' was borrowed from the Old French word cheminee centuries ago. This explains why the two words sound and look so similar today.
In French, the word cheminée can refer to an industrial smokestack. This means a massive factory tower and a cozy living room fireplace share the same name.

Cette cheminée est de briques.
This chimney is made of brick.
This example describes the material a cheminée is made of.
Tatoeba #3673168 by sacredceltic, translation #60229 by CK
La fumée montait par la cheminée.
The smoke went upward through the chimney.
This sentence describes smoke moving upward through a cheminée.
Tatoeba #334819 by sysko, translation #25900 by auxitt
La fumée s'échappe de la cheminée.
Smoke comes out of the chimney.
This sentence describes smoke escaping from a cheminée.
Tatoeba #808837 by sacredceltic, translation #5376540 by Objectivesea
La cheminée de la maison était magnifiquement ornée.
The chimney of the house was beautifully decorated.
La cheminée avait un conduit de fumée efficace.
The chimney had an efficient smoke duct.
On adore faire des feux dans la cheminée ouverte pendant l'hiver.
We love having fires in the open fireplace during winter.
23 more sentences on Tatoeba

Lucas and Emma are looking at a house they want to buy.

Lucas

Regarde cette belle cheminée en pierre.
Look at this beautiful stone chimney.
Emma

Elle est charmante, mais est-elle propre ?
It is charming, but is it clean?
Lucas

Je pense qu'il faut inspecter la cheminée.
I think the chimney needs to be inspected.
Emma

Tu as raison, vérifions cela d'abord.
You are right, let's check that first.

Sources

Wiktionary, “chimney” translations and entries cheminée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries cheminée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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