nièce
/njɛs/feminine
The French word for niece is nièce.
The term nièce refers to a fraternal or sororal niece.
Meaning: fraternal or sororal niece (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of nièce is nièces.
How do you pronounce it?
/njɛs/
Did you know?
- While nièce is a specific kinship term, French speakers sometimes use ma petite as an affectionate nickname for a nièce regardless of her actual age.
- The word nièce shares its ancient roots with the English word 'nephew' through the Latin 'neptis', which originally referred to any grandchild or descendant regardless of gender.
- The French word neveu for nephew and nièce for niece create a gender-binary pair, but neither can be used as a gender-neutral term for a sibling's child.
Examples in context
- Marie est-elle ta nièce ?Is Mary your niece?This sentence is useful for asking if Marie is someone's nièce.Tatoeba #9165843 by Julien_PDC, translation #9165833 by CK
- La nièce ressemble à sa tante.The niece looks like her aunt.This sentence shows a comparison between a nièce and her aunt.Tatoeba #1516436 by Aiji, translation #43814 by Swift
- Il aime sa nièce comme sa fille.He loves his niece like his own daughter.This sentence illustrates the affection a person can have for his nièce.Tatoeba #10486880 by pkill, translation #12977835 by urro
- Bonjour, madame. Voici ma nièce Sophie.Hello ma'am. This is my niece Sophie.
- Salut Margot ! Comment ça va, ma petite nièce ?Hi Margot! How are you, my little niece?
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are talking about their family during a coffee break.
- ChloéTu as des enfants, Gabriel ?Do you have children, Gabriel?
- GabrielNon, mais j'ai une petite nièce.No, but I have a little niece.
- ChloéAh, est-ce qu'elle est mignonne ?Ah, is she cute?
- GabrielOui, elle est adorable.Yes, she is adorable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “niece” translations and entries nièce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nièce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
