kayak
/ka.jak/
The English phrase "kayaking" can be translated to French as kayak.
kayak refers to the water sport of kayaking. To describe a person who engages in this sport, you can use un kayakiste (a kayaker). If you are referring to the equipment needed for safety, un gilet de sauvetage means a life jacket and pagayer means to paddle.
Meaning: water sport (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the word kayak is the noun for the boat itself. To express the activity of kayaking as a verb phrase, you should use the construction faire du kayak (to go kayaking). If you want to use a specific verb to describe the action of paddling a kayak, you can use kayaker.
How do you pronounce it?
/ka.jak/
Did you know?
- The word kayak is a direct loanword from the Inuktitut word qayaq, which originally meant 'man's boat'.
- A kayaking trip or race is often called descente de rivière, which literally means 'river descent'.
- In French, the word kayak is a palindrome, meaning it is spelled the same way forwards and backwards.
Examples in context
- Nous eûmes fini la descente de la rivière en kayak avant le coucher du soleil.We were done kayaking down the river before sunset.This sentence illustrates using kayak to describe the completion of a river descent.Tatoeba #12066229 by phil9064, translation #12066227 by phil9064
- Je vais faire du kayak sur le lac cet après-midi.I'm going kayaking on the lake this afternoon.
- Nous pratiquons le kayak depuis plusieurs années.We have been kayaking for several years.
- Il adore pagayer sur les eaux calmes du fleuve.He loves paddling on the calm waters of the river.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are planning their weekend trip.
- EmmaOn pourrait faire du kayak samedi.We could go kayaking on Saturday.
- HugoC'est une excellente idée, Emma !That is an excellent idea, Emma!
- EmmaJe vais louer le kayak pour nous.I will rent the kayak for us.
- HugoMerci, j'ai hâte d'y être.Thanks, I can't wait.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry kayak, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kayak, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
