hamster
/am.stɛʁ/masculine
The French word for hamster is hamster. Wiktionary also lists rat de blé.
Meaning: rodent species belonging to the Cricetinae (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hamster | /am.stɛʁ/ /am.stɚ/ (Quebec) |
masculine |
| rat de blé | masculine |
The term refers to the rodent species belonging to the Cricetinae.
Which one should you use?
hamster is the standard term for the animal, while rat de blé is an alternative name.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, add an 's' to the end of the word to make hamsters.
How do you pronounce it?
/am.stɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The term hamster has roots reaching back to Balto-Slavic languages before entering German and then French.
- In French, the term rat de blé specifically evokes the wild European hamster, which is much larger than the Syrian species common in pets.
- The alternative name rat de blé translates literally to 'wheat rat'.
Examples in context
- Mon hamster est trop chou.My hamster is too cute.This sentence is useful for describing how cute a hamster is.Tatoeba #5307268 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6829872 by Eccles17
- Tom a reçu un hamster pour Noël.Tom got a hamster for Christmas.This sentence shows an example of receiving a hamster as a gift.Tatoeba #5361177 by alexisslay, translation #3711867 by Hybrid
- Le garçon a pleuré la mort de son hamster.The boy mourned the death of his hamster.This sentence expresses sadness regarding the death of a hamster.Tatoeba #10904664 by lbdx, translation #1326866 by Scott
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are at a pet store.
- LucasRegarde ce petit hamster doré.Look at this little golden hamster.
- ChloéIl est vraiment mignon, Lucas.He is really cute, Lucas.
- LucasOn peut acheter un hamster ?Can we buy a hamster?
- ChloéDemande d'abord à tes parents.Ask your parents first.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hamster” translations and entries hamster, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries blé, de, hamster, rat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
