canard laqué
masculine
Peking duck in French is canard laqué. Wiktionary also lists canard laqué de Pékin.
Meaning: dish consisting of duck and pancake (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| canard laqué | masculine |
| canard laqué de Pékin | masculine |
This term refers to the dish consisting of duck and pancake.
What does it mean word for word?
The term canard laqué literally translates to lacquered duck, which refers to the glaze used on the skin.
Which one should you use?
Canard laqué de Pékin is the more precise way to specify the dish's origin, whereas canard laqué is the common shorthand used on menus.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is masculine, so it takes the masculine articles le or un (e.g., le canard laqué).
Did you know?
- In French, the word canard is used as a slang term for a fake news story or a hoax. This means you could accidentally call a piece of gossip a 'duck'.
- The term canard laqué describes the duck's skin as if it were a piece of furniture, using a word that refers to the hard, glossy finish of traditional lacquerware.
- In French, the name for this dish, Pékin, is a phonetic borrowing from the Mandarin 'Beijing', but it specifically retains the older, pre-modern pronunciation of the city's name.
Example sentences for French are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are looking at a menu in a Chinese restaurant.
- EmmaTu veux goûter le canard laqué ?Do you want to try the peking duck?
- HugoOui, ç a l'air excellent !Yes, it looks excellent!
- EmmaJe vais en commander un pour nous.I am going to order one for us.
- HugoC'est une super idée, Hugo approuve.That is a great idea, Hugo approves.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “peking duck” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Pékin, canard, de, pékin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
