rein
/ʁɛ̃/masculine
The French word for kidney is rein.
rein is the standard term used to refer to the organ in the body.
Meaning: an organ in the body (noun)
Which one should you use?
While rein is the standard term, rognon is an informal way to refer to a kidney.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of rein is reins.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁɛ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly pronounce the final 'n' as a hard consonant, but in French, it is a nasal vowel where the 'n' is not fully articulated as a consonant.
Did you know?
- While rein refers to the organ, the term reins in a literary or biblical context often refers to the seat of emotions and deep secrets, similar to how 'heart' is used in English.
- The phrase avoir les reins fragiles literally means 'to have fragile kidneys', but it is often used as a euphemism for having a weak back or suffering from lumbar pain.
- The Latin root of rein is rēnes, which is actually a plural form used to describe the kidneys in antiquity.
Examples in context
- J'ai un problème de rein.I have a kidney condition.This sentence shows how to describe a kidney condition using rein.Tatoeba #9761992 by lbdx, translation #4135235 by raggione
- J'ai besoin d'un nouveau rein.I need a new kidney.This sentence is useful for expressing the need for a new kidney using rein.Tatoeba #10989791 by Rovo, translation #6713183 by Eccles17
- Est-ce que tu donnerais un rein ?Would you donate a kidney?This sentence is used to ask about donating a kidney using rein.Tatoeba #8418304 by Aiji, translation #8078096 by AlanF_US
- J'ai mal au rein gauche.I have pain in my left kidney.
- Les reins jouent un rôle important dans la filtration du sang.The kidneys play an important role in blood filtration.
- J'ai mangé des rognons hier soir.I ate kidneys last night.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma is talking to Gabriel about a medical appointment.
- EmmaLe médecin a examiné mon rein gauche.The doctor examined my left kidney.
- GabrielEst-ce que tout va bien, Emma ?Is everything okay, Emma?
- EmmaOui, mon rein fonctionne normalement.Yes, my kidney is functioning normally.
- GabrielC'est une bonne nouvelle alors.That is good news then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kidney” translations and entries rein, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rein, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
