jaune
/ʒon/
jaune is the French word for yellow.
jaune is the most common and straightforward word used to describe something having yellow as its color. You can use it as an adjective or as a noun to refer to the color itself. For more specific descriptions, you can use jaune citron for lemon yellow or jaune vif to describe a bright and vivid shade of yellow. The phrase couleur jaune can also be used to mean yellow color.
Meaning: having yellow as its color (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective jaune is invariable in gender, so it remains the same whether the noun it describes is masculine or feminine. To make the adjective plural, you add an 's' to form jaunes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒon/
Did you know?
- During the French Revolution, the ‘cocarde jaune’ or yellow cockade was sometimes used as a symbol of specific political factions, contrasting with the national red white and blue.
- The word jaune traces its roots back to the Latin word galbinus, which originally referred to a specific shade of pale or yellowish-green.
- In French sports culture, the carton jaune is the universal signal for a caution, a tradition imported from football that is now used as a metaphor for warnings in daily life.
Examples in context
- Le feu est jaune.The light is yellow.This sentence shows how to use jaune to describe a light.Tatoeba #10188617 by felix63, translation #10188614 by CM
- Le livre est jaune.The book is yellow.This sentence shows how to use jaune to describe a book.Tatoeba #7778359 by tras, translation #5256981 by solejar
- Le fruit est jaune.The fruit is yellow.This sentence shows how to use jaune to describe a fruit.Tatoeba #8602635 by Aiji, translation #2898167 by AlanF_US
- La fleur est jaune.The flower is yellow.
- Le soleil est jaune.The sun is yellow.
- La voiture est jaune.The car is yellow.
- Le drapeau est de couleur jaune.The flag is yellow in color.
- Ce gâteau a une belle couleur jaune vif.This cake has a beautiful bright yellow color.
- J'adore ta jupe jaune citron, elle est très estivale.I love your lemon yellow skirt, it's very summery.
- 139 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are looking at clothes in a shop.
- ChloéRegarde cette chemise jaune, Hugo !Look at this yellow shirt, Hugo!
- HugoElle est très jolie, Chloé.It is very pretty, Chloé.
- ChloéTu penses qu'elle me va ?Do you think it suits me?
- HugoOui, elle est parfaite pour toi.Yes, it is perfect for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yellow” translations and entries jaune, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jaune, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
