genou
/ʒə.nu/
genou is the French word for knee.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun genou is masculine and is used with the masculine article le. The plural form of genou is genoux.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of genou is /ʒə.nu/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word genou comes from the Late Latin genuculum, which was a diminutive form meaning 'little knee'.
- The French phrase mettre à genoux means 'to bring to one's knees', but it can also be used metaphorically to describe a city or army being defeated.
- The spelling of the plural genoux can be a trap, as many other 'ou' words in French simply add an 's' to become plural.
Examples in context
- J'ai mal au genou.My knee hurts.
- Je me suis blessé le genou.I injured my knee.
- Il a mal aux genoux.He has knee pain.
- Je me suis fait mal au genou.I hurt my knee.
- Il a une cicatrice sur le genou.He has a scar on his knee.
- Le genou de l'enfant est rouge.The child's knee is red.
Example conversation
Nathan is telling Manon about a sports injury.
- NathanJe ne peux pas courir aujourd'hui.I cannot run today.
- ManonQu'est-ce qui se passe, Nathan ?What is happening, Nathan?
- NathanJ'ai très mal au genou gauche.My left knee hurts a lot.
- ManonTu devrais voir un médecin.You should see a doctor.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry genou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries genou, CC BY-SA 4.0.
