lapin
/la.pɛ̃/masculine
The French word for rabbit is lapin.
lapin is the standard noun used to refer to the mammal.
Meaning: mammal (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is lapin. To refer to a female rabbit, use the feminine form lapine. For the plural, add an s to get lapins.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /la.pɛ̃/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In French slang, poser un lapin means to stand someone up for a date or a meeting.
- The word lapin actually replaced an older French word, connin, which is a linguistic relative of the English word 'coney' or 'cony'.
- In French folklore, the 'rabbit' figure is often replaced by the 'lièvre', or hare, which is considered a different species despite the similarity in appearance.
Examples in context
- Tom a un lapin.Tom has a rabbit.This sentence shows how to use lapin to indicate possession.Tatoeba #6734195 by GB3, translation #6733511 by CK
- Ziri avait un lapin.Ziri had a rabbit.This sentence demonstrates the use of lapin in the past tense.Tatoeba #12481978 by always, translation #10223542 by Amastan
- Qui a tué le lapin ?Who killed the rabbit?This sentence shows how to use lapin in a question.Tatoeba #13337862 by genes1s, translation #12698132 by CK
- Les chercheurs étudient le lapin pour comprendre son comportement.Researchers study the rabbit to understand its behavior.
- Ce restaurant propose un plat délicieux à base de lapin.This restaurant offers a delicious rabbit dish.
- Regarde ce lapinou tout mignon !Look at this adorable little rabbit!
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are looking at a pet shop window.
- EmmaRegarde ce petit lapin, Nathan !Look at this little rabbit, Nathan!
- NathanOh oui, il est adorable.Oh yes, he is adorable.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu veux un lapin ?Do you want a rabbit?
- NathanNon, je n'ai pas assez de place.No, I don't have enough space.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rabbit” translations and entries lapin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lapin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
