lapin
/la.pɛ̃/
The French word for rabbit is lapin.
lapin is the standard term used to refer to a rabbit, the small mammal with long ears and a short fluffy tail.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular noun is preceded by the definite article le (le lapin). To form the plural, add an s to the end of the word: lapins.
How do you pronounce it?
/la.pɛ̃/
Did you know?
- The phrase poser un lapin literally means 'to place a rabbit' but is actually the common French idiom for standing someone up on a date.
- If you 'play the rabbit' (faire le lapin), it means you have sneakily left a social gathering or a date without saying goodbye to anyone.
- The word lapin actually replaced an older word, connin, which used to be the standard term for this animal. This older word is a distant relative of the English word 'coney'.
Examples in context
- Le lapinou est si doux et câlin.The bunny is so soft and cuddly.
- Le lapin mange une carotte.The rabbit is eating a carrot.
- J'ai un petit lapin blanc.I have a small white rabbit.
- Regarde ce lapin dans le jardin.Look at that rabbit in the garden.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are looking at a pet store window.
- LucasEst-ce que tu vois ce petit lapin ?Do you see this little rabbit?
- ManonOui, il est vraiment mignon.Yes, he is really cute.
- LucasOn devrait prendre un lapin pour moi.We should get a rabbit for me.
- ManonC'est une bonne idée, Lucas.That is a good idea, Lucas.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lapin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lapin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
