château de sable
/ʃa.to d(ə) sabl/masculine
The English phrase 'sandcastle' is translated into French as château de sable.
A château de sable refers to a sculpture made of sand and resembling a miniature castle.
Meaning: a sculpture made of sand and resembling a miniature castle (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase château de sable literally translates to 'castle of sand'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the colloquial expression Pâté de sable, which literally means sand paste, is used to describe a sandcastle.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'sandcastles' in the plural, use châteaux de sable. Note that only the word château takes a plural marker.
Did you know?
- The word sable in the phrase château de sable is a homonym. While it means 'sand' here, it is also the name of a species of marten, a small carnivorous mammal.
- In the world of heraldry, the term sable is used in French to describe the color black on a coat of arms.
- The diminutive Latin root castellum for château suggests that even ancient 'castles' were seen as small, fortified structures.
Examples in context
- Il fait un château de sable.He's making a sandcastle.Tatoeba #8647643 by Julien_PDC, translation #11669905 by tieguy
- On va faire un château de sable.Let's make a sandcastle.Tatoeba #10123367 by letsgolanguages, translation #10116078 by ddnktr
- Le château de sable que les enfants construisent sur la plage témoigne de leur imagination et de leur joie de vivre.The sandcastle that children build on the beach reveals their imagination and zest for life.
- Regarde ce beau château de sable.Look at this beautiful sandcastle.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two children are playing on the beach.
- LucasLéa, regarde mon grand château de sable.Léa, look at my big sandcastle.
- LéaIl est magnifique, Lucas !It is magnificent, Lucas!
- LucasEst-ce que tu veux m'aider ?Do you want to help me?
- LéaOui, avec plaisir.Yes, with pleasure.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sandcastle” translations and entries château de sable, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries château, de, sable, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
