gingembre
/ʒɛ̃.ʒɑ̃bʁ/masculine
The English word ginger translates to French as gingembre.
gingembre is the masculine noun for the spice. In scientific or botanical discussions, the formal name for this plant is Zingiber officinale. If you want to emphasize the root aspect of the spice, you can use the phrase racine de gingembre, which means ginger root.
Meaning: spice (noun)
Which one should you use?
While gingembre refers specifically to the spice, you should use the adjectives roux or rousse to describe someone with ginger or reddish-brown hair.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to ginger as an uncountable ingredient in a recipe or a general quantity, use the masculine partitive article du to say du gingembre (some ginger).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒɛ̃.ʒɑ̃bʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use gingembre as an adjective to describe hair color, and avoid using the English word ginger in French.
Did you know?
- The etymological journey of gingembre began in South India with the Old Tamil word iñci, showing how much history is packed into a single spice.
- While English speakers might use 'ginger' as a playful or derogatory nickname for people, French uses the term roux for red-haired people, which is a neutral descriptor of color.
Examples in context
- C'est une boisson au gingembre.This is a ginger drink.This sentence is useful for identifying a drink containing gingembre.Tatoeba #6832731 by felix63, translation #2630357 by meerkat
- N'oublie pas d'apporter de la coriandre, des piments et du gingembre.Don't forget to bring coriander, chili peppers, and ginger.This sentence is useful for listing ingredients including gingembre.Tatoeba #8998590 by lbdx, translation #8998593 by shekitten
- Le gingembre est un aliment qui réchauffe le corps, il est donc recommandé aux personnes sensibles au froid.Ginger is a food that warms up the body, so it is recommended for people sensitive to cold.This sentence is useful for describing the warming properties of gingembre.Tatoeba #8872502 by lbdx, translation #5270325 by Jesse
- J'adore le thé au gingembreI love ginger tea
- Ajoutez du gingembre râpé à cette soupeAdd grated ginger to this soup
- Le gingembre est utilisé dans de nombreuses recettes asiatiquesGinger is used in many Asian recipes
- Utilisez de la racine de gingembre fraîche pour cette marinadeUse fresh ginger root for this marinade
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan is cooking in the kitchen while Manon watches.
- ManonEst-ce que tu as besoin de gingembre ?Do you need ginger?
- NathanOui, j'ai besoin de gingembre pour la soupe.Yes, I need ginger for the soup.
- ManonJe vais chercher le gingembre dans le placard.I will go look for the ginger in the cupboard.
- NathanMerci beaucoup, Manon.Thank you very much, Manon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ginger” translations and entries gingembre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gingembre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
