violon
/vjɔ.lɔ̃/formal, masculine
The English word violin is violon in French. Wiktionary also lists crincrin.
Meaning: string instrument (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| violon | /vjɔ.lɔ̃/ | formal, masculine |
| crincrin | /kʁɛ̃.kʁɛ̃/ | informal, masculine |
The term refers to the string instrument.
Which one should you use?
While violon is the standard term, crincrin is a colloquial or slang term often used in a slightly derogatory or humorous way to refer to the instrument or the act of playing it poorly.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
violon is the formal masculine noun. crincrin is an informal masculine noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that one plays an instrument, the partitive article du is used with violon instead of the definite article le.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /vjɔ.lɔ̃/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French slang, mettre au violon means to put someone in a holding cell. This comes from the early 20th century when police stations used the word 'violin' as a nickname for the jail cell.
- The word violon is a diminutive, created by adding the suffix -on to the word viole to essentially mean 'small viola'.
- The slang word crincrin focuses on the bow rather than the body of the instrument, as it is a reduplication of crin, meaning 'horsehair'.
Examples in context
- As-tu un violon ?Do you have a violin?This sentence is useful for asking if someone possesses a violon.Tatoeba #10360 by sacredceltic, translation #69795 by CK
- Je joue du violon.I play the violin.This sentence is useful for stating that one plays the violon.Tatoeba #6962 by sysko, translation #362737 by blay_paul
- Elle joua du violon.She played the violin.This sentence is useful for describing the action of playing the violon in the past tense.Tatoeba #1787586 by sacredceltic, translation #1442357 by CK
- Mon ami pratique le violon depuis dix ans.My friend has been playing the violin for ten years.
- J'ai commencé à apprendre le violon.I started learning the violin.
- On cherche un violoniste pour notre groupe.We are looking for a violinist for our band.
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma is visiting a music shop with Nathan.
- NathanEst-ce que ce violon est cher ?Is this violin expensive?
- EmmaNon, il est très abordable.No, it is very affordable.
- NathanJe vais l'acheter pour mon violoniste préféré.I am going to buy it for my favorite violinist.
- EmmaC'est un très bon choix, Nathan.It is a very good choice, Nathan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “violin” translations and entries violon, crincrin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries crincrin, violon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
