raser
/ʁa.ze/
To shave in French is raser. Wiktionary also lists se raser.
Meaning: to remove hair from (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| raser | /ʁa.ze/ /ʁɑ.ze/ |
| se raser |
The verb is used to describe the act of removing hair. To specify the body part being shaved, you can add a noun after the verb, such as in Elle se rase les jambes avant de porter une jupe. If you are referring to shaving a specific area like the head, you can use tondre instead of raser. The noun rasage refers to the act or process of shaving, and le rasoir is the noun for the tool used to shave.
Which one should you use?
Use raser when you are shaving something else, such as a person's head or a surface. Use the reflexive form se raser when you are talking about the act of shaving oneself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle rasé is used as an adjective to describe someone who is clean-shaven.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁa.ze/
Did you know?
- In some French dialects, raser is used to describe someone who is annoying or 'getting on one's nerves', as in ça me rase.
- The word raser can also mean 'to raze' or level a building to the ground, reflecting the idea of removing everything down to the base.
- The phrase raser les murs literally means 'to shave the walls' but it is used idiomatically to describe someone who is trying to be invisible or inconspicuous in a room.
Examples in context
- Je vais me raser.I'm going to shave.This sentence is useful for saying you are going to shave using raser.Tatoeba #7695473 by Maxence, translation #2548719 by CK
- Il faudrait te raser.You need to shave.This sentence is useful for saying someone needs to shave using raser.Tatoeba #3693572 by Elliv, translation #3374700 by CK
- Aujourd'hui, je vais me raser.Today, I'm going to shave.Tatoeba #6086985 by christian63, translation #6814027 by Eccles17
- Il est important de se raser tous les matins.It is important to shave every morning.
- Mon grand-père aime bien se raser la frimousse avant les grandes occasions.My grandfather likes to shave his face before big occasions.
- Le matin, je me rase rapidement.In the morning, I shave quickly.
- Il achète toujours des produits spéciaux pour le rasage.He always buys special shaving products.
- Ses cheveux poussaient trop, alors il a décidé de se tondre la tête.His hair was growing too long, so he decided to shave his head.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas is preparing for a photo shoot in the bathroom.
- ManonTu vas te raser pour la photo ?Are you going to shave for the photo?
- LucasOui, je dois me raser ce matin.Yes, I must shave this morning.
- ManonTu veux utiliser mon rasoir ?Do you want to use my razor?
- LucasNon merci, je vais me raser avec le mien.No thanks, I will shave with mine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shave” translations and entries raser, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
