jour
/ʒuʁ/masculine
The English word 'day' can be translated into French as jour or journée.
Meaning: period of 24 hours (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| jour | /ʒuʁ/ (Europe) /ʒʊːʁ/ (Canada) |
masculine |
| journée | /ʒuʁ.ne/ | feminine |
Use jour when you are counting days or referring to a specific point in time, such as un jour (one day) or chaque jour (every day). Use journée in greetings or when describing how a day was spent, such as Toute la journée (All day long).
Which one should you use?
While jour refers to a unit of time or a specific date, journée is used when emphasizing the duration, the passage of time or the activities occurring within that day.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒuʁ/
When do people say it?
In greetings, you can use Bonne journée ! to say 'Have a good day!'
Did you know?
- While jour means 'day', it is also used to describe a 'hole' or 'gap' in a fabric or a wall where light passes through, called le jour.
- The French word jour is the root of the English word 'journal', which originally referred to a daily record of events.
- In legal or formal contexts, a jour franc is a 'clear day', meaning a full 24-hour period that does not include the day the notice was given or the day the action is taken.
Examples in context
- Le jour se lève.Day is breaking.This sentence is useful for describing the breaking of the day using jour.Tatoeba #135438 by sacredceltic, translation #323956 by Dejo
- Il reste un jour.There's a day left.This sentence is useful for expressing that a single jour remains.Tatoeba #5270610 by BabyAzerty, translation #2464841 by CM
- Le bébé a un jour.The baby is one day old.This sentence is useful for stating the age of a baby in one jour.Tatoeba #583078 by qdii, translation #462560 by lukaszpp
- Bonne journée!Have a good day!
- Nous avons une réunion demain toute la journée.We have a meeting all day tomorrow.
- Comment s'est passée ta journée ?How was your day?
- Bonne journée, mon ami !Have a good day, my friend!
- 2750 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are planning a trip together.
- LéaOn part dans quel jour ?What day do we leave?
- GabrielOn part le troisième jour du mois.We leave on the third day of the month.
- LéaC'est un jour assez loin.That is a day quite far off.
- GabrielOui, mais c'est le meilleur jour.Yes, but it is the best day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “day” translations and entries jour, journée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
