roux
/ʁu/masculine
The French phrase for redhead is roux. Wiktionary also lists rousse.
Meaning: red-haired person (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| roux | /ʁu/ | masculine |
| rousse | /ʁus/ | feminine |
A formal and neutral way to say 'a redhead person' is une personne rousse.
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English word 'redhead' which is gender-neutral, the French terms change based on the gender of the person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form roux is used when referring to a male redhead, while the feminine form rousse is used when referring to a female redhead.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁu/
Did you know?
- In French culinary terms, roux refers to a mixture of fat and flour used to thicken sauces, a word that shares the same spelling and sound.
- While roux describes hair, the word rouge is used for the color red itself, meaning a person with red hair cannot be called rouge.
- The term rousse is quite versatile in French and can describe a 'reddish' or 'rusty' glow in the sky during a sunset. It captures a specific autumnal or oxidized quality that goes beyond just human hair.
Examples in context
- Qui est cette jolie rousse ?Who's that cute redhead?This sentence uses rousse.Tatoeba #12368298 by lbdx, translation #2263356 by Hybrid
- Je suis rousse.I'm a redhead.Tatoeba #11096701 by Micsmithel, translation #5143801 by CarpeLanam
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at a photo of their childhood friends.
- ManonRegarde ce petit roux sur la photo.Look at that little redhead in the photo.
- HugoAh oui, c'est l'ancien voisin !Ah yes, it's the old neighbor!
- ManonIl est devenu très grand maintenant.He has become very tall now.
- HugoC'est vrai, il a bien changé.It's true, he has changed a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “redhead” translations and entries roux, rousse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
