roue
/ʁu/feminine
The English word "wheel" is translated into French as roue.
roue refers to a circular device that facilitates movement or transportation. If you are referring specifically to a bicycle wheel, you would use roue de vélo. For a steering wheel, the French term is volant.
Meaning: a circular device facilitating movement or transportation (noun)
Which one should you use?
While roue is the general term for a wheel, the diminutive roulette can be used to describe a small wheel or a roulette wheel.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun roue is feminine. Because of this, it is preceded by the feminine article la in the phrase la roue.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁu/
Did you know?
- Historically, the roue was not just a tool for transport but also a feared instrument of execution known as 'breaking on the wheel'.
- While roue means wheel, the word volant used for a steering wheel literally means 'flying'.
- The English word 'rote' as in 'learning by rote' is a sibling to roue, as both come from the Latin word 'rota' for wheel. It refers to the repetitive circular motion of a wheel.
Examples in context
- La roue commença à tourner.The wheel began to turn.This sentence is useful for seeing roue in the context of movement.Tatoeba #1509345 by martin9, translation #265644 by CM
- La roue de la fortune tourne.The wheel of fortune is turning.This sentence shows the metaphorical use of roue in the phrase 'the wheel of fortune'.Tatoeba #13623166 by Rovo, translation #13635277 by rul
- Inutile de réinventer la roue.You don't need to reinvent the wheel.This sentence illustrates a common idiom using roue.Tatoeba #12949255 by lbdx, translation #1953269 by marafon
- J'ai besoin d'acheter une roue de rechange pour ma voiture.I need to buy a spare wheel for my car.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are looking at a broken bicycle in a garage.
- ManonRegarde, la roue de ton vélo est tordue.Look, your bicycle wheel is bent.
- GabrielOui, je dois la remplacer rapidement.Yes, I need to replace it quickly.
- ManonEst-ce que tu as une roue de rechange ?Do you have a spare wheel?
- GabrielNon, je vais en acheter une demain.No, I am going to buy one tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wheel” translations and entries roue, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries roue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
