identité de genre
The English phrase "gender identity" is translated into French as identité de genre. Wiktionary also lists identité sexuelle.
Meaning: person's sense of self as a member of a particular gender (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| identité de genre | |
| identité sexuelle | feminine |
This term is used to describe a person's internal sense of self as a member of a particular gender.
Which one should you use?
Use identité de genre to refer to a person's internal sense of gender, whereas identité sexuelle refers to sexual identity or orientation.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because identité is a feminine noun, the definite article used for "the gender identity" is l’ (which is the elided form of la).
Did you know?
- Because French is a highly gendered language, the concept of identité de genre has led to the creation of the non-binary pronoun iel, which blends the masculine il and feminine elle.
- In informal spoken French, the word genre is frequently used as a filler word similar to 'like' in English, such as in the phrase C'est genre…
- While English uses 'gender' to cover many concepts, the French word genre is a modern semantic loan from English specifically to describe this social concept. Historically, the French word primarily referred to a 'kind' or 'sort' of something, like a 'genre' of music.
Examples in context
- Je souhaiterais poser une question liée à l'identité de genre présentée dans votre étude.I would like to ask a question related to the gender identity presented in your study.
- Elle exprime son identité de genre avec fierté.She expresses her gender identity with pride.
- L'identité de genre est un concept important.Gender identity is an important concept.
- Chaque personne peut explorer son identité de genre.Every person can explore their gender identity.
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are discussing a sociology article.
- EmmaCet article traite de l'identité de genre.This article deals with gender identity.
- LucasC'est un sujet très actuel, Emma.It is a very current topic, Emma.
- EmmaOui, c'est essentiel pour comprendre les gens.Yes, it is essential to understand people.
- LucasJe suis tout à fait d'accord avec toi.I completely agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gender identity” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, genre, identité, CC BY-SA 4.0.
