Blanc
/blɑ̃/
The French phrase for "white person" is Blanc.
This term refers to a person with light skin, typically of European descent.
Which one should you use?
Blanc is the masculine singular form, while blanche is the feminine singular form. When the word is used as a noun to refer to a person rather than as an adjective, it is capitalized as Blanc.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the noun personne (person), the adjective must change to the feminine form blanche to agree with it, resulting in une personne blanche. If you are using Blanc as a noun to represent a person, it should be capitalized, such as in un Blanc.
How do you pronounce it?
/blɑ̃/
Did you know?
- The word blanc is used in the term un blanc-bec, which is a slang term for a naive youth or a 'greenhorn'.
- In French, calling a piece of paper blanc can mean it is white, but un blanc in a conversation refers to an awkward silence.
- The term blanc is used in the expression faire blanc, which comes from a traditional game of bowls and means to fail completely or score nothing.
Examples in context
- Catherine est une personne blanche.Catherine is a white person.
- Paul est un blanc sympa.Paul is a nice white guy.
- Le gars blanc qui est venu hier était vraiment drôle.The white guy who came yesterday was really funny.
- un BlancA white person
Example conversation
Two friends are observing a crowd at a local festival.
- GabrielEst-ce que c'est un Blanc là-bas ?Is that a white person over there?
- ManonOui, c'est un Blanc.Yes, it is a white person.
- GabrielIl semble chercher quelqu'un.He seems to be looking for someone.
- ManonPeut-être bien.Maybe so.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Blanc, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
