bois
/bwa/masculine
The English word "wood" is bois in French.
The word bois refers to both the substance of a tree and the material itself, such as timber or lumber. For example, you can specify the type of material by using le bois de chêne for oak wood or le bois de pin for pine wood. To describe an object as being made of wood, use the phrase en bois. Additionally, the term menuiserie is used to refer to woodworking or carpentry.
Meaning: substance (noun)
Which one should you use?
While bois can be used to mean a small wood or a grove, if you are referring to a large forest, the word forêt is more common.
How do you pronounce it?
/bwa/
Did you know?
- The word bois can also be a conjugated form of the verb boire, meaning 'I drink' or 'you drink'. This can lead to confusing written sentences where a noun and a verb look identical.
- While bois means wood, the French use the word bois specifically to describe the 'shaft' of a golf club, regardless of whether the material is actually wood or graphite.
- The French word bois is a direct relative of the English word 'bush'. Both words trace their origins back to the same Proto-Germanic root describing a thicket or grove.
Examples in context
- Le bois est dur.The wood is hard.This sentence shows how to describe the hardness of bois.Tatoeba #5235156 by sicerabibax, translation #6695375 by Eccles17
- Touche du bois !Touch wood!This sentence illustrates the idiom used for "Touch wood!"Tatoeba #10499902 by pkill, translation #2129920 by freddy1
- Je scie du bois.I'm sawing some wood.This sentence demonstrates the action of sawing bois.Tatoeba #11767742 by lbdx, translation #9510375 by sundown
- Il construit des meubles en bois.He builds wooden furniture.
- La matière du bois est utilisée dans l'industrie de la construction.The material of wood is used in the construction industry.
- une table en boisA wooden table
- une chaise en boisA wooden chair
- 120 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are looking at a new dining table.
- HugoCette table est en bois.This table is made of wood.
- ManonLe bois est magnifique ici.The wood is magnificent here.
- HugoIl est très clair.It is very light-colored.
- ManonOui, il est très beau.Yes, it is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wood” translations and entries bois, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bois, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
