poterie
/pɔ.tʁi/feminine
The English word pottery is translated into French as poterie.
poterie is used to describe both the craft of making pottery and the actual ceramic objects produced.
Meaning: practise or craft of making pottery (noun)
Which one should you use?
While poterie often refers to traditional earthenware or clay-based craft, céramique is a broader term used for all ceramic materials, including porcelain and stoneware.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of two syllables and is pronounced /pɔ.tʁi/.
Did you know?
- The word poterie is related to the French word potage, which refers to a thick soup, because the soup was traditionally cooked in a ceramic 'pot'.
- France is home to Limoges, a city so famous for its high-end pottery and porcelain that the name is used as a generic term for luxury ceramics globally.
- While poterie describes the craft, French uses the specific term faïence to describe a particular type of tin-glazed earthenware common in European history.
Examples in context
- Cette poterie amazighe est envoûtante.This Berber pottery is mesmerizing.This sentence is useful for describing a specific type of Berber pottery.Tatoeba #12495071 by always, translation #9087263 by Amastan
- La terre glaise est le composant primordial pour faire de la poterie.Clay is the essential ingredient in making pottery.Tatoeba #1504387 by Rovo, translation #278610 by AlanF_US
- L'anthropologue rassemble les tessons de poterie qu'elle a déterrés sur le site de fouilles.The anthropologist is piecing together pottery shards she unearthed at the excavation site.This sentence is useful for discussing pottery shards found at an excavation site.Tatoeba #956280 by sacredceltic, translation #956243 by darinmex
- J'adore visiter les ateliers de poterie et admirer les magnifiques céramiques.I love visiting pottery studios and admiring the beautiful ceramics.
- Chez ma grand-mère, il y a toujours de jolies poteries sur l'étagère.At my grandmother's place, there are always pretty pottery pieces on the shelf.
- J'ai participé à un cours de poterie et j'ai réussi à créer un vase en terre cuite.I took a pottery class and managed to create a clay vase.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are talking about their weekend hobbies.
- ManonTu fais quoi ce week-end ?What are you doing this weekend?
- HugoJe vais à mon cours de poterie.I am going to my pottery class.
- ManonC'est super, tu aimes la poterie ?That's great, do you like pottery?
- HugoOui, j'adore créer des objets avec l'argile.Yes, I love creating objects with clay.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pottery” translations and entries poterie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
