How to Say "Cotton Candy" in French

barbe à papa

/baʁ.b‿a pa.pa/feminine

The English phrase "cotton candy" is barbe à papa in French.

barbe à papa is a noun used to describe the spun sugar confectionery known as cotton candy.

Meaning: spun sugar confectionery (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase literally translates to "dad's beard".

This is a feminine noun, so when using the definite article, you use la barbe à papa.

/baʁ.b‿a pa.pa/

While English uses the textile 'cotton' to describe the texture, French uses the image of a 'beard' to evoke the same fluffy feeling.
The word barbe in barbe à papa shares a deep ancestral root with the Proto-Indo-European word *bʰardʰeh₂, which also shaped the word 'beard' in English.
The French term barbe à papa relies on the word papa, which is a repetitive syllable word derived from child-speak.

J'ai entendu dire qu'un magasin de barbe à papa vient juste d'ouvrir. Allons-y, les mecs.
I heard a cotton candy shop has just opened. Let's go, dudes.
This sentence is useful for mentioning a new cotton candy shop.
Tatoeba #5991 by TRANG, translation #5992 by Zifre
Lors de notre dernière sortie au parc, j'ai acheté de la barbe à papa pour les enfants.
During our last trip to the park, I bought cotton candy for the kids.
Elle adore la barbe à papa rose.
She loves pink cotton candy.
Est-ce qu'il y a de la barbe à papa ?
Is there any cotton candy?

Léa and Gabriel are visiting a carnival.

Léa

Regarde, Gabriel ! Il y a de la barbe à papa !
Look, Gabriel! There is cotton candy!
Gabriel

Oh, j'adore ça. On en achète une ?
Oh, I love that. Shall we buy one?
Léa

Oui, je vais prendre une barbe à papa bleue.
Yes, I'm going to get a blue cotton candy.
Gabriel

Super, je prends la même chose que toi.
Great, I'll have the same thing as you.

Sources

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