bricolage
/bʁi.kɔ.laʒ/
The English phrase 'crafts' can be translated into French as bricolage.
While bricolage can refer to crafts, it is most commonly used to describe DIY (do-it-yourself) tasks and home improvement projects.
Which one should you use?
Depending on your specific meaning, you may need a different term than bricolage. Use artisanat if you are referring to professional, traditional crafts such as woodworking or pottery as a trade. Use activités manuelles to describe the specific hobby of making things by hand, which is particularly common in a school or workshop context. For a formal way to say 'crafts', you can use Les créations artistiques.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun bricolage can be turned into the verb bricoler, which means to do small repair jobs or to tinker with things.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /bʁi.kɔ.laʒ/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The verb bricoler can be used to describe a political or administrative system that is poorly organized and just 'getting by' with makeshift solutions.
- The term bricolage is used in English-speaking academic circles to describe how people create new things from whatever is at hand. This concept was popularized by the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss.
- If you call a professional's work bricolage, you might accidentally insult them. It suggests the work was a messy, amateurish 'patch-up' job rather than a product of true skill.
Examples in context
- J'adore les créations artistiques ! J'ai récemment réalisé une sculpture en argile.I love crafts! I recently made a clay sculpture.
- Ce week-end, je vais faire du bricolage avec mes enfants. Nous allons fabriquer des petits animaux en carton.This weekend, I'm going to do some crafts with my children. We'll make small cardboard animals.
- Elle aime le bricolage.She loves crafts.
- Le bricolage est une passion pour moi.Crafts are a passion for me.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are discussing their weekend activities.
- GabrielTu fais quoi ce week-end ?What are you doing this weekend?
- ManonJe fais un peu de bricolage.I am doing some crafts.
- GabrielC'est une activité très relaxante.It is a very relaxing activity.
- ManonOui, j'adore créer des choses.Yes, I love making things.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bricolage, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
