sirène
/si.ʁɛn/feminine
The French word for mermaid is sirène.
The term sirène refers to the mythological woman with a fish's tail.
Meaning: mythological woman with a fish’s tail (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word sirène is polysemous. It can also mean a siren, such as the loud noise or alarm used by police and ambulances or a seductive woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
Since sirène is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine indefinite article une when referring to one mermaid.
How do you pronounce it?
/si.ʁɛn/
Did you know?
- In French, the word sirène is used for both a mermaid and the mythological bird-women of Greek myth. This reflects the original legends where the creatures were not fish but half-bird.
- The French word sirène is a doublet of the word serin, which refers to a small yellow bird.
- Calling a woman a sirène in a social context can be a double-edged sword. Depending on the tone, it can be a compliment about her beauty or a warning that she is a dangerous temptress.
Examples in context
- La sirène se transforma en écume.The mermaid turned to foam.This sentence shows a mermaid turning into foam.Tatoeba #13739404 by Rovo, translation #13739334 by rul
- « La Petite Sirène » est le titre d'un conte de fées danois."The Little Mermaid" is the title of a Danish fairy tale.This sentence provides the title of a Danish fairy tale.Tatoeba #12872583 by Rovo, translation #12872531 by rul
- La petite sirène gémit et regarda tristement sa queue de poisson.The little mermaid sighed and looked sadly at her fish tail.This sentence describes a mermaid looking at her fish tail.Tatoeba #1131669 by sacredceltic, translation #1131488 by danepo
- Dans cette légende, la sirène enchantait les marins avec sa belle voix.In this legend, the mermaid enchanted the sailors with her beautiful voice.
- La belle sirèneThe beautiful mermaid
- La dangereuse sirèneThe dangerous mermaid
- un chant de sirèneA siren song
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are looking at a children's book in a cafe.
- LucasRegarde ce livre, Manon.Look at this book, Manon.
- ManonOh, est-ce que c'est une histoire de sirène ?Oh, is it a story about a mermaid?
- LucasOui, elle est très belle, cette sirène.Yes, this mermaid is very beautiful.
- ManonJ'adore les contes de sirènes.I love mermaid tales.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mermaid” translations and entries sirène, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sirène, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
