hydrogène
/i.dʁɔ.ʒɛn/masculine
The French for hydrogen is hydrogène.
hydrogène is the standard term for the lightest chemical element.
Meaning: lightest chemical element (noun)
Which one should you use?
In scientific contexts, Gaz dihydrogène is used to emphasize the gas form of hydrogen.
How does it change in a sentence?
hydrogène is a masculine noun. Because it begins with a mute h, the article le becomes l', giving l'hydrogène.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /i.dʁɔ.ʒɛn/, three syllables. The h is silent.
Did you know?
- The name hydrogène was coined by the famous French chemist Antoine Lavoisier in 1783. It literally translates to 'water-former' because of the element's role in creating water.
- The term hydrogène was born during the French Revolution era, reflecting a period when French scientists were aggressively replacing old alchemical terms with a new, rational language.
- The word hydrogène shares its suffix -gène with oxygène, as both were part of a systematic naming convention created by Antoine Lavoisier to categorize elements by their chemical properties.
Examples in context
- L'eau se compose d'oxygène et d'hydrogène.Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.L'eau se compose d'oxygène et d'hydrogène. means water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.Tatoeba #180680 by Aiji, translation #270780 by blay_paul
- Le symbole chimique H désigne l'hydrogène.The chemical symbol H indicates hydrogen.Le symbole chimique H désigne l'hydrogène. means the chemical symbol H indicates hydrogen.Tatoeba #1903841 by Rovo, translation #239445 by handsomelyian
- Un atome d'hydrogène n'a qu'un proton et un électron.An hydrogen atom only has one proton and one electron.Un atome d'hydrogène n'a qu'un proton et un électron. means a hydrogen atom only has one proton and one electron.Tatoeba #9690365 by lbdx, translation #3957916 by Hybrid
- J'ai étudié la réaction chimique entre l'oxygène et l'hydrogène.I studied the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen.
- Les chercheurs ont découvert que le gaz dihydrogène est inflammable.The researchers discovered that hydrogen gas is flammable.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are studying for a chemistry test.
- EmmaEst-ce que l'hydrogène est un gaz ?Is hydrogen a gas?
- LucasOui, c'est le gaz le plus léger.Yes, it is the lightest gas.
- EmmaL'hydrogène est-il inflammable ?Is hydrogen flammable?
- LucasOui, Lucas, fais attention avec ça.Yes, Lucas, be careful with that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hydrogen” translations and entries hydrogène, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hydrogène, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
