How to Say "Midget" in French

nain

/nɛ̃/masculine

The English word midget is translated into French as nain. Wiktionary also lists naine.

Meaning: person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10" (noun)

Ways to say it

“midget” in French
French	IPA	Note
nain	/nɛ̃/	masculine
naine	/nɛn/	feminine

In French, nain refers to a person of small stature with an adult height of less than 4'10"."

The masculine form is nain and the feminine form is naine.

naine is the feminine form of the noun.

/nɛ̃/

In French, the word nain is used in the phrase le nain du jardin to describe a garden gnome.
The term nain is used in French astronomy to describe 'dwarf planets', such as Pluton, which is called une planète naine.
In some contexts, calling a person un nain can be perceived as much more derogatory in French than the English equivalent, often used as a sharp insult regarding one's importance.

Dima croyait vraiment que les pornos nains étaient un sous-genre des pornos pédophiles.
Dima actually thought that midget porn is some subtype of child porn.
This sentence shows an example of the word nain used in a specific context.
Tatoeba #2973430 by gillux, translation #669793 by saeb
Je ne suis pas un nain. Je suis une personne de petite taille !
I'm not a midget. I'm a dwarf!
This sentence shows a person distinguishing between the term nain and being a person of small stature.
Tatoeba #1106805 by gall, translation #1105819 by gall
Laissez-moi vous présenter Paul, une personne de petite taille très talentueuse.
Let me introduce you to Paul, a very talented person of small stature.

Chloé and Lucas are discussing a character in a fantasy movie.

Chloé

Le personnage principal est un nain.
The main character is a midget.
Lucas

Oui, il est très courageux.
Yes, he is very brave.
Chloé

Je trouve son costume très réaliste.
I find his costume very realistic.
Lucas

C'est vrai, le maquillage est parfait.
That's true, the makeup is perfect.

Sources

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