soie
/swa/feminine
The English word silk is translated into French as soie.
soie refers to the fabric itself. When you need to refer specifically to the material in a professional or highly formal context, you may use the phrase Étoffe de soie, which translates to 'silk fabric'.
Meaning: fabric (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
soie is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/swa/
Did you know?
- In French, the word soie can also refer to the stiff bristles of a pig, such as those used in traditional brushes.
- Lyon is historically known as the silk capital of Europe, where the canuts or silk workers led some of France's first industrial uprisings.
- The French word soie shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'bind', stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to tie' or 'to bind'.
Examples in context
- La robe est en soie.The dress is of silk.This sentence shows how to describe a dress as being made of silk using soie.Tatoeba #460122 by sacredceltic, translation #50153 by csabus
- On dirait de la soie.This feels like silk.This sentence describes a texture that feels like soie.Tatoeba #3634681 by sacredceltic, translation #55920 by CK
- La robe est faite de soie.The gown is made of silk.This sentence is useful for stating that a gown is made of soie.Tatoeba #4551373 by sacredceltic, translation #50577 by CK
- Je porte une robe en soie ce soir.I am wearing a silk dress tonight.
- "C'est du satin ou de la soie ?" – "C'est de la soie, c'est plus léger et brillant que le satin.""Is it satin or silk?" – "It's silk, it's lighter and shinier than satin."
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon is looking at a scarf in a boutique.
- NathanCette écharpe est en soie ?Is this scarf made of silk?
- ManonOui, c'est une très belle soie.Yes, it is a very beautiful silk.
- NathanElle est très douce, cette soie.This silk is very soft.
- ManonC'est vrai, elle est de grande qualité.It's true, it is of high quality.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “silk” translations and entries soie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
