Vocabulary: Learn animal names in French

Are you curious about how to say a dog, a monkey, or other animals in French?

In the list below, you can enrich your vocabulary with a variety of animal names. Practice pronunciation with the provided IPA phonetic transcriptions to enhance your speaking skills and remember these animal names.

This compilation includes common animals that are handy to know, especially if you enjoy discussing this topic in French.

List of animal names in French

 

French Word	Phonetic Pronunciation (IPA)	English Translation
une abeille	/a.bɛj/	bee
un aigle	/ɛɡl/	eagle
un alligator	/a.li.ɡa.tɔʁ/	alligator
un âne	/ɑn/	donkey
une araignée	/a.ʁɛ.ɲe/	spider
une autruche	/o.tʁyʃ/	ostrich
une baleine	/ba.lɛn/	whale
une belette	/bə.lɛt/	weasel
un bélier	/be.lje/	ram
une biche	/biʃ/	doe
un bison	/bi.zɔ̃/	bison
un blaireau	/blɛ.ʁo/	badger
une blatte	/blat/	cockroach
un bouc	/buk/	billy goat
une brebis	/bʁə.bi/	ewe
un cachalot	/ka.ʃa.lo/	sperm whale
un caméléon	/ka.me.le.ɔ̃/	chameleon
un canard	/ka.naʁ/	duck
un canari	/ka.na.ʁi/	canary
un castor	/ka.stɔʁ/	beaver
un cerf	/sɛʁf/	deer
un chameau	/ʃa.mo/	camel
un chat	/ʃa/	cat
une chauve-souris	/ʃov.su.ʁi/	bat
une chenille	/ʃə.nil/	caterpillar
un cheval	/ʃə.val/	horse
une chèvre	/ʃɛvʁ/	goat
un chien	/ʃjɛ̃/	dog
un chimpanzé	/ʃɛ̃.pan.ze/	chimpanzee
une chouette (1)	/ʃwɛt/	owl
une coccinelle	/kɔk.si.nɛl/	ladybug
un cochon	/kɔ.ʃɔ̃/	pig
un cochon d’Inde	/kɔ.ʃɔ̃ dɛ̃d/	guinea pig
une colombe	/kɔ.lɔ̃b/	dove
un condor	/kɔ̃.dɔʁ/	condor
un coq	/kɔk/	rooster
un corbeau	/kɔʁ.bo/	raven
un crapaud	/kʁa.po/	toad
un crocodile	/kʁɔ.kɔ.dil/	crocodile
un cygne	/siɲ/	swan
un dauphin	/do.fɛ̃/	dolphin
un dindon	/dɛ̃.dɔ̃/	turkey
un dromadaire	/dʁɔ.ma.dɛʁ/	dromedary
un écureuil	/e.ky.ʁœj/	squirrel
un éléphant	/e.le.fɑ̃/	elephant
un escargot	/ɛs.kaʁ.ɡo/	snail
un faucon	/fo.kɔ̃/	falcon
une fourmi	/fuʁ.mi/	ant
un furet	/fy.ʁɛ/	ferret
une girafe	/ʒi.ʁaf/	giraffe
un gorille	/ɡɔ.ʁij/	gorilla
une grenouille	/ɡʁə.nuj/	frog
un guépard	/ɡe.paʁ/	cheetah
une guêpe	/ɡɛp/	wasp
un hamster	/ɑ̃s.tɛʁ/	hamster
un hibou (1)	/i.bu/	owl
un hippopotame	/i.po.pɔ.ta.m/	hippopotamus
une hyène	/i.ɛn/	hyena
un jaguar	/ʒa.ɡwaʁ/	jaguar
un kangourou	/kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu/	kangaroo
un lapin	/la.pɛ̃/	rabbit
un léopard	/le.o.paʁ/	leopard
un lézard	/le.zaʁ/	lizard
une libellule	/li.bɛ.lyl/	dragonfly
un lion	/li.ɔ̃/	lion
un loup	/lu/	wolf
une loutre	/lu.tʁ/	otter
un lynx	/lɛ̃ks/	lynx
un mammouth	/ma.mu/	mammoth
un manchot (2)	/mɑ̃.ʃo/	penguin
une méduse	/me.dy.z/	jellyfish
un mille-pattes	/mil.pat/	centipede
un morse	/mɔʁs/	walrus
une mouche	/muʃ/	fly
un moustique	/mu.stik/	mosquito
un mouton	/mu.tɔ̃/	sheep
un mulet	/my.lɛ/	mule
une oie	/wa/	goose
un oiseau	/waz.o/	bird
un orang-outan	/ɔ.ʁɑ̃.ɡu.tɑ̃/	orangutan
un ornithorynque	/ɔʁ.ni.tɔ.ʁɛ̃k/	platypus
une otarie	/ɔ.ta.ʁi/	sea lion
un ours	/uʁs/	bear
un ours polaire	/uʁs pɔ.lɛʁ/	polar bear
un panda	/pɑ̃.da/	panda
une panthère	/pɑ̃.tɛʁ/	panther
un paon	/pɑ̃/	peacock
un papillon	/pa.pi.jɔ̃/	butterfly
un pélican	/pe.li.kɑ̃/	pelican
un perroquet	/pɛ.ʁɔ.kɛ/	parrot
un phoque	/fɔk/	seal
un pigeon	/pi.ʒɔ̃/	pigeon
un pingouin (2)	/pɛ̃.ɡwɛ̃/	penguin
un poisson	/pwa.sɔ̃/	fish
un poisson rouge	/pwa.sɔ̃ ʁuʒ/	goldfish
un poney	/pɔ.nɛ/	pony
une poule	/pul/	hen
un poulet	/pu.lɛ/	chicken
un puma	/py.ma/	puma
un rat	/ʁa/	rat
un renard	/ʁə.naʁ/	fox
un requin	/ʁə.kɛ̃/	shark
un sanglier	/sɑ̃.ɡli.e/	boar
un scorpion	/skɔʁ.pjɔ̃/	scorpion
un serpent	/sɛʁ.pɑ̃/	snake
un singe	/sɛ̃ʒ/	monkey
une souris	/su.ʁi/	mouse
un taureau	/to.ʁo/	bull
un tigre	/tiɡʁ/	tiger
une tortue	/tɔʁ.ty/	turtle
une tortue de mer	/tɔʁ.ty də mɛʁ/	sea turtle
une truie	/tʁɥi/	sow
une truite	/tʁɥit/	trout
une vache	/vaʃ/	cow
un rhinocéros	/ʁi.nɔ.se.ʁɔs/	rhinoceros
un zèbre	/zɛbʁ/	zebra

Note (1): In French ‘owl’ can mean ‘une chouette’ or ‘un hibou’, they are both birds of prey, but ‘hibou’ has egrets on his head, and ‘chouette’ doesn’t, you can see the difference on the pictures below:

‘Manchots’ are birds who live in the Antarctic, in the Southern Hemisphere. They can’t run or fly, but they can swim underwater with their wings. (Emperor penguin, Humboldt penguin, Cape penguin).

‘Pingouins’ are birds who live in the Northern Hemisphere (Arctic). They can fly. They are birds of the family Alcidae (auks).

Male, Female, and Baby Names of Animals in French

• Chien = dog (male) – chienne = bitch (female) – chiot = puppy (baby)
• Cheval = horse (male) – jument = mare (female) – poulain = foal (baby)
• Chat = cat (male) – chatte = female cat (female) – chaton = kitten (baby)
• Vache = cow (female) – taureau = bull (male) – veau = calf (baby)
• Poule = hen (female) – coq = rooster (male) – poussin = chick (baby)
• Lion = lion (male) – lionne = lioness (female) – lionceau = lion cub (baby)
• Éléphant = elephant (male) – éléphante = female elephant (female) – éléphanteau = elephant calf (baby)
• Ours = bear (male) – ourse = female bear (female) – ourson = bear cub (baby)
• Tigre = tiger (male) – tigresse = tigress (female) – tigreau = tiger cub (baby)
• Singe = monkey (male) – guenon = female monkey (female) – bébé singe = baby monkey (baby)
• Canard = duck (male) – cane = female duck (female) – caneton = duckling (baby)
• Loup = wolf (male) – louve = female wolf (female) – louveteau = wolf cub (baby)
• Poisson = fish (male) – poisson = female fish (female) – alevin = fish fry (baby)
• Oiseau = bird (male) – oiseau = bird (female) – oisillon = chick (baby bird)
• Grenouille = frog (male) – grenouille = frog (female) – têtard = tadpole (baby)
• Baleine = whale (male) – baleine = whale (female) – baleineau = whale calf (baby)
• Bouc = goat (male) – chèvre = goat (female) – chevreau = kid (baby)
• Cerf = buck/stag (male) – biche = hind/doe (female) – faon = fawn (baby)
• Porc = pig (male) – truie = sow (female) – porcelet = piglet (baby)
• Sanglier = wild boar (male) – laie = sow (female) – marcassin = boar piglet (baby)
• Chameau = camel (male) – chamelle = she-camel (female) – chamelon = camel calf (baby)

I hope this list of animal names was useful for you, if you have any questions, please leave a comment.