jaune
/ʒon/
jaune is the French word for yellow.
jaune describes a color similar to a lemon or the sun. It can be used to describe objects such as Un stylo jaune (a yellow pen) or Une fleur jaune (a yellow flower).
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective jaune is invariable in gender, so it remains the same whether the noun it describes is masculine or feminine. However, it does change in number. You must add an 's' to form the plural jaunes to agree with a plural noun, as seen in Des livres jaunes (yellow books).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒon/
Did you know?
- The word jaune has roots in the Latin word galbinus, which originally described a shade of green or yellowish-green.
- In French, the phrase être jaune can be used as a slang term for someone who is cowardly, similar to the English expression 'yellow-bellied'.
- The legendary maillot jaune or 'yellow jersey' is worn by the leader of the Tour de France to make them easily visible in the crowd.
Examples in context
- Contador a gagné le maillot jaune au Tour de France.Contador won the maillot jaune in the Tour de France.This sentence shows the use of jaune in the context of the Tour de France.Tatoeba #512659 by SUZIE, translation #440992 by eljaque
- Le ciel est d'un bleu clair et le soleil est jaune.The sky is light blue and the sun is yellow.
- J'ai acheté un nouveau sac jaune.I bought a new yellow bag.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are looking at clothes in a shop.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu aimes ce pull jaune ?Do you like this yellow sweater?
- LéaOui, il est très joli sur toi, Gabriel.Yes, it looks very pretty on you, Gabriel.
- GabrielJe pense qu'il va bien avec mon pantalon.I think it goes well with my pants.
- LéaC'est vrai, la couleur est superbe.It's true, the color is superb.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry jaune, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jaune, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
