cuisine
/kɥi.zin/
In French, 'cooking' is translated as cuisine.
Cuisine refers to one's ability to prepare food or the general concept of cookery. While it can mean the style of cooking, it is also the standard word for the kitchen (the room). If you want to describe the act of preparing a meal, it is idiomatic to use the phrase faire la cuisine.
Meaning: one's ability to prepare food, cookery (noun)
Which one should you use?
While cuisine refers to the art or style of cooking, it is also the standard word for 'the kitchen' (the room) in French. To express the act of preparing a meal, French speakers typically use the verbal phrase faire la cuisine rather than just the noun cuisine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun cuisine has a related verb form, cuisiner, which means 'to cook'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables: /kɥi.zin/.
Did you know?
- The verb cuisiner can be used figuratively in police slang to mean 'grilling' or intensely questioning a suspect.
- The French word cuisine is a cognate of the English word 'kitchen'.
- French uses cuisine to describe a specific regional style, such as cuisine lyonnaise, which functions like a proper noun.
Examples in context
- Il cuisine aussi ?Is he cooking too?This sentence asks if he is also cooking using cuisine.Tatoeba #7547442 by Micsmithel, translation #5399178 by mailohilohi
- Je fais la cuisine.I'm doing the cooking.This sentence demonstrates the idiomatic phrase for doing the cooking using cuisine.Tatoeba #2910042 by nimfeo, translation #455885 by lukaszpp
- La cuisine sent bon.The cooking smells good.This sentence describes how the cooking smells good using cuisine.Tatoeba #6892442 by felix63, translation #6892674 by Gulliver
- La cuisine française est réputée dans le monde entier.French cooking is renowned worldwide.
- On va cuisiner ensemble ce soir ?Shall we cook together tonight?
- La cuisine est l'art de transformer instantanément ce qui est comestible en déchets.Cooking is the art of instantly transforming what is edible into waste.
- 164 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are discussing their culinary talents at home.
- ChloéTa cuisine est vraiment excellente, Gabriel.Your cooking is truly excellent, Gabriel.
- GabrielMerci, c'est gentil de ta part.Thank you, that is kind of you.
- ChloéTu as appris cela où ?Where did you learn that?
- GabrielJ'ai suivi des cours de cuisine.I took cooking classes.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cuisine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuisine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
