souris
/su.ʁi/feminine
The French word for mouse is souris.
souris refers to the rodent of the genus Mus. It is also the most common and widely accepted word for a computer mouse. To be specific about a computer mouse, you can use the phrase souris d'ordinateur. In technical or professional settings, you may encounter the formal term dispositif de pointage, which means pointing device.
Meaning: rodent of the genus Mus (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
souris is a feminine noun, so it is preceded by the feminine article une. Note that the form souris is identical in both its singular and plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/su.ʁi/
Did you know?
- In French culinary terms, la souris d'agneau refers to a specific cut of lamb from the shoulder that resembles a mouse's leg.
- The use of souris for a computer mouse was a 'semantic loan' from English, meaning the French adopted the animal metaphor instead of creating a new technical term.
Examples in context
- Tom vit une souris.Tom saw a mouse.This sentence shows how to use souris to describe seeing a mouse.Tatoeba #5402320 by Aiji, translation #2865177 by Amastan
- J'ai vu une souris !I saw a mouse!This sentence shows how to use souris to express seeing a mouse.Tatoeba #5109343 by sicerabibax, translation #2406065 by CK
- La souris est grande.The mouse is big.This sentence shows how to use souris to describe the size of a mouse.Tatoeba #13801590 by Rovo, translation #10248881 by ddnktr
- J'ai besoin d'une souris d'ordinateur.I need a computer mouse.
- J'ai vu un mulot dans le jardin.I saw a mouse in the garden.
- 98 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are in the kitchen.
- LucasRegarde, Manon ! Il y a une souris.Look, Manon! There is a mouse.
- ManonOù est-elle ? Je ne vois rien.Where is it? I don't see anything.
- LucasElle est juste là, derrière le pain.It is right there, behind the bread.
- ManonVite, attrape cette souris !Quick, catch that mouse!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mouse” translations and entries souris, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries souris, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
