photon
/fɔ.tɔ̃/masculine
The English word 'photon' is translated into French as photon.
The term refers to a quantum of light and is a masculine noun.
Meaning: quantum of light (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, add an 's' to the end, similar to the English pluralization rule. For example, the plural of photon is photons.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /fɔ.tɔ̃/.
Did you know?
- In French, the word for light is lumière, which is feminine, but the photon itself is masculine. This creates a gender shift when saying un photon de lumière.
- French categorizes almost all subatomic particles, including photon, électron and neutron, as masculine nouns. This creates a consistent gender-coded group for physics terminology.
- Because the final 's' in photons is silent, the singular and plural forms are indistinguishable by ear. You must rely entirely on the surrounding context or articles like les to know if the scientist is discussing one or many.
Examples in context
- Le photon transporte de l'énergie.The photon carries energy.
- Un photon frappe le capteur.A photon hits the sensor.
- Cette expérience mesure chaque photon.This experiment measures every photon.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are studying physics together.
- LéaLucas, qu'est-ce qu'un photon exactement ?Lucas, what exactly is a photon?
- LucasC'est la plus petite unité de lumière.It is the smallest unit of light.
- LéaDonc le photon n'a pas de masse ?So the photon has no mass?
- LucasC'est exact, Léa, il n'en a pas.That's correct, Léa, it doesn't have any.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “photon” translations and entries photon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
