How to Say "Ottawa" in French

Ottawa

/ɔ.ta.wa/feminine

Ottawa is the French name for the capital of Canada.

Ottawa is used to refer to the capital city of Canada. It is also related to the term outaouais, which refers to a member of the Ottawa people.

Meaning: capital of Canada (name)

Related words

The pronunciation is /ɔ.ta.wa/. It has 3 syllables.

The name Ottawa is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe word odaawaa, meaning 'traders', a term that honors the historical role of the people in the fur trade.
Despite being a capital city, in French political discussions, one might use Ottawa to refer to the federal government itself, similar to how English speakers use 'Washington'.
While Ottawa is a city name, the related French term l'Outaouais describes both a river and a specific administrative region.

Ottawa est la capitale du Canada.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada.
This sentence is useful for identifying the capital of Canada using Ottawa.
Tatoeba #10824 by KotobaNiko, translation #64997 by CK
L'ambassadeur a été reçu à Ottawa.
The ambassador was received in Ottawa.
Les représentants gouvernementaux se sont réunis à Ottawa.
Government representatives met in Ottawa.
On se retrouve à Ottawa demain?
Shall we meet in Ottawa tomorrow?
J'ai réservé mes billets pour aller à Ottawa.
I have booked my tickets to go to Ottawa.
J'aime beaucoup vivre à Ottawa.
I really like living in Ottawa.
Est-ce que tu vas bientôt à Ottawa ?
Are you going to Ottawa soon?

Two friends are discussing their travel plans over coffee.

Sources

Wiktionary, “ottawa” translations and entries Ottawa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries Ottawa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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