petite souris
/pə.tit su.ʁi/feminine
The English phrase "tooth fairy" can be translated into French as petite souris or fée des dents.
Meaning: figure of modern myth said to give children a small amount of money in exchange for a milk tooth (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| petite souris | /pə.tit su.ʁi/ | feminine |
| fée des dents | /fe de dɑ̃/ | feminine |
Both terms refer to the mythical figure that children visit to exchange a lost milk tooth for a small amount of money.
What does it mean word for word?
The term petite souris literally translates to "little mouse". The phrase fée des dents is a literal translation of "tooth fairy", composed of fée (fairy) and des dents (of the teeth).
Which one should you use?
While fée des dents is a literal translation of the English term, petite souris is the much more common term used in France.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because souris is a feminine noun, the definite article used is la and the adjective petite must be in the feminine form.
How do you pronounce it?
/pə.tit su.ʁi/
When do people say it?
In French culture, the myth involves a mouse rather than a fairy, which is why petite souris is the standard term.
Did you know?
- The French word for the mouse, souris, shares its spelling with the word for a computer mouse, a term borrowed directly from English.
- The word fée in fée des dents stems from the Latin fāta, which originally referred to goddesses of fate rather than tiny winged beings.
- In the phrase petite souris, the word souris can also mean 'to smile' if it is the conjugated form of the verb sourire.
Examples in context
- La petite souris veut voler tes dents.The tooth fairy wants to steal your teeth.This sentence uses petite souris.Tatoeba #7382068 by Micsmithel, translation #6042714 by mailohilohi
- La petite souris est une voleuse de dents.The tooth fairy is a tooth thief.Tatoeba #12895836 by lbdx, translation #6042715 by mailohilohi
- La fée des dents enseigne aux enfants qu'ils peuvent monétiser des parties de leurs corps.The tooth fairy teaches children that they can sell body parts for money.This sentence uses fée des dents.Tatoeba #3521199 by sacredceltic, translation #901597 by Spamster
- Ma petite sœur a perdu une dent aujourd'hui. J'ai hâte de voir quelle surprise la fée des dents va lui apporter!My little sister lost a tooth today. I can't wait to see what surprise the tooth fairy will bring her!
- Quand j'étais petit, j'adorais la visite de la p'tite souris. Elle me laissait toujours une pièce sous l'oreiller!When I was little, I loved the visit from the little mouse. She always left me a coin under my pillow!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A mother is talking to her young son about his lost tooth.
- ManonEst-ce que la petite souris est déjà passée ?Has the tooth fairy already come by?
- GabrielNon, j'attends encore la petite souris.No, I am still waiting for the tooth fairy.
- ManonElle va passer cette nuit, promis.She will come by tonight, I promise.
- GabrielJ'espère qu'elle va me laisser une pièce.I hope she leaves me a coin.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tooth fairy” translations and entries petite souris, fée des dents, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries des, fée, fée des dents, souris, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
