44 wonderful farm, jungle, sea, zoo and pet animals in French

Whether you want to visit the Parc de la Tête d’Or zoo in Lyon, ask questions to a French farmer on a marché or just watch funny cat videos with your Québécois friends, it always comes handy to know some French animal vocabulary.

Besides, who doesn’t like les animaux? Knowing animals in French will help you engage in conversation and make new francophone friends. From zoo animals and pets to farm animals in French, without forgetting wildlife and sea creatures, get ready for a furry, feathery and scaly article!

1. Farm animals in French

Passez du coq à l’âne (French expression meaning “To change the subject completely”) with these farm animals in French!

English	Singular	Plural	Male	Female	Young	Collective noun
Horse	(Le) cheval shuh-vall	Chevaux shuh-voh	Étalon eh-tah-lon	Jument ju-muhn	Poulain pooh-lahn	Troupeau trew-poh
Cow	(La) vache vahsh	Vaches vahsh	Taureau, boeuf tuh-ruh	Vache vahsh	Génisse, taurillon, veau jen-eese, tow-re-yon, vo	Troupeau trew-poh
Pig	(Le) cochon coo-shohn	Cochons coo-shohn	Cochon coo-shohn	Truie truwee	Goret, porcelet go-ret, pour-su-leh	Troupeau trew-poh
Goat	(La) chèvre sheh-vruh	Chèvres sheh-vruh	Bouc book	Chèvre sheh-vruh	Chevreau shuh-vroh	Troupeau trew-poh
Donkey	(L’)âne ahn	Ânes ahn	Âne ahn	Ânesse an-esse	Ânon an-ohn	Troupe trewp
Sheep	(Le) mouton moo-tohn	Moutons moo-tohn	Moutons moo-tohn	Brebis breh-bee	Agneau ah-nee-ho	Troupeau trew-poh
Chicken	(Le) poulet poo-lay	Poulets poo-lay	Coq cock	Poule pool	Poussin pooh-san	Troupeau trew-poh
Duck	(Le) canard cah-nar	Canards cah-nar	Canard cah-nar	Câne canh	Caneton cah-nay-tohn	Troupeau trew-poh
Turkey	(La) dinde dahnd	Dindes dahnd	Dindon dahn-dohn	Dinde dahnd	Dindonneau dahn-doh-no	Troupeau trew-poh
Goose	(L’)oie wah	Oies wah	Jars jhar	Oie wah	Oison wah-zohn	Troupeau trew-poh
Rabbit	(Le) lapin lah-pahn	Lapins lah-pahn	Lapin lah-pahn	Lapine lah-peen	Lapereau lah-puh-ro	Troupeau trew-poh

2. Zoo animals and wild animals in French

Navigate the jungle of French animal vocabulary with these wild animals and zoo animals in French!

English	Singular	Plural	Male	Female	Young	Collective noun
Lion	(Le) lion lee ohn	Lions lee-ohn	Lion lee-ohn	Lionne lee-uhn	Lionceau lee-ohn-so	Meute or troupeau muht, trew-poh
Tiger	(Le) tigre tee-gruh	Tigres tee-gruh	Tigre tee-gruh	Tigresse tee-gres	Tigreau tee-gro	Meute or troupeau muht, trew-poh
Elephant	(L’)éléphant ay lay-fohn	Éléphants ay lay-fohn	Éléphant ay lay-fohn	Éléphante ay-lay-fohnt	Éléphanteau ay-lay-fohnt-oh	Troupeau trew-poh
Giraffe	(La) girafe gee-rahff	Girafes gee-rahff	Girafe gee-rahff	Girafe gee-rahff	Girafon gee-rahff-onh	Troupeau trew-poh
Hippopotamus	(L’)hippopotame ee-poh-poh-tahm	Hippopotames ee-poh-poh-tahm	Hippopotames ee-poh-poh-tahm	Hippopotame ee-poh-poh-tahm	Bébé hippopotame ee-poh-poh-tahm	Troupeau trew-poh
Rhinoceros	(Le) rhinocéros ree-noh-sair-os	Rhinocéros ree-noh-sair-os	Rhinocéros ree-noh-sair-os	Rhinocéros ree-noh-sair-os	Bébé rhinocéros ree-noh-sair-os	Troupeau trew-poh
Zebra	(Le) zèbre zeh-bruh	Zèbres zeh-bruh	Zèbre zeh-bruh	Zebrelle zeh-brelle	Zébron or Zébreau zeh-brohn, zeh-broh	Troupeau trew-poh
Monkey	(Le) singe sanj	Singes sanj	Singe sanj	Guenon guh-nohn	Bébé singe beh-beh-sanj	Troupeau trew-poh
Crocodile	(Le) crocodile kroe-koe-deel	Crocodiles kroe-koe-deel	Crocodile kroe-koe-deel	Crocodile kroe-koe-deel	Bébé crocodile beh-beh-kroe-koe-deel	Troupeau trew-poh
Kangaroo	(Le) kangourou kahn-goo-roo	Kangourous kahn-goo-roo	Kangourou kahn-goo-roo	Kangourou kahn-goo-roo	Bébé kangourou beh-beh-kahn-goo-roo	Troupeau trew-poh
Bear	(L’)ours oors	Ours oors	Ours oors	Oursonne oors-uhn	Ourson oors-ohn	Troupeau trew-poh
Wolf	(Le) loup luh loo	Loups loo	Loups loo	Louve loo-vuh	Louveteau loo-vuh-tou	Meute muht
Bird	(L’)oiseau wah-so	Oiseaux wah-so	Oiseaux wah-so	Oiselle wah-zell	Oisillon wah-zee-yohn	Volée voh-leh

3. Sea animals in French

Dive into sea animals in French with these fascinating aquatic creatures!

English	Singular	Plural	Male	Female	Young	Collective noun
Fish	(Le) poisson pwah-ssohn	Poissons pwah-ssohn	Poissons pwah-ssohn	Poissons pwah-ssohn	Alevin ah-lew-vahn	Banc bahn
Dolphin	(Le) dauphin do-fahn	Dauphins do-fahn	Dauphin do-fahn	Dauphin do-fahn	Delfineau del-fee-noh	Banc bahn
Whale	(La) baleine bell-ehn	Baleines bahl-ehn	Baleine bahl-ehn	Baleine bahl-ehn	Baleineau bahl-eh-noh	Banc or troupeau bahn, trew-poh
Seal	(Le) phoque fawk	Phoques fawk	Phoque fawk	Phoque fawk	Blanchon blahn-shohn	Troupeau trew-poh
Shark	(Le) requin ri-kahn	Requins reuh-kahn	Requin reuh-kahn	Requin reuh-kahn	Requineau reuh-key-noh	Banc bahn
Polar bear	(L’)ours blanc oors blah-unk	Ours blancs oors blah-unk	Ours blanc oors blah-unk	Oursonne blanche Oors-uhn blah-unk	Ourson blanc oors-ohn blah-unk	Troupeau trew-poh
Penguin	(Le) pingouin pehn-gwahn	Pingouins pehn-gwahn	Pingouin pehn-gwahn	Pingouine pehn-gwin	Poussin pooh-san	Colonie koh-lo-nee
Squid	(Le) calamar kal-ah-mahr	Calamars kal-ah-mahr	Calamar kal-ah-mahr	Calamar kal-ah-mahr	Bébé calamar beh-beh kal-ah-mahr	Banc bahn
Jellyfish	(La) méduse may-dooz	Médusesmay-dooz	Méduse may-dooz	Méduse may-dooz	Bébé méduse beh-beh may-dooz	Banc bahn
Lobster	(Le) homard oh-mar	Homards oh-mar	Homard oh-mar	Homard oh-mar	Bébé homard beh-beh oh-mar	Banc bahn
Crab	(Le) crabe crahb	Crabes crahb	Crabe crahb	Crabe crahb	Bébé crabe beh-beh crahb	Banc bahn
Seahorse	(L’)hippocampe eep-oh-kahmp	Hippocampes eep-oh-kahmp	Hippocampe eep-oh-kahmp	Hippocampes eep-oh-kahmp	Bébé hippocampe beh-beh eep-oh-kahmp	Banc bahn
Otter	(La) loutre loo-truh	Loutres loo-truh	Loutre loo-truh	Loutre loo-truh	Loutron loo-trohn	Troupeau trew-poh

4. Pets in French

And last but not least, learn how to call your best friends in French!

English	Singular	Plural	Male	Female	Young	Collective noun
Dog	(Le) chien shee-ehn	Chiens shee-ehn	Chien shee-ehn	Chienne shee-en	Chiot shee-oo	Meute muht
Cat	(Le) chat shah	Chats shah	Chat shah	Chatte shat	Chaton shah-tohn	Troupeau trew-poh
Goldfish	(Le) poisson rouge pwah-ssohn-rooge	Poissons rouges pwah-ssohn-rooge	Poisson rouge pwah-ssohn-rooge	Poisson rouge pwah-ssohn-rooge	Alevin ah-lew-vahn	Banc bahn
Hamster>	(Le) hamster am-stair	Hamsters am-stair	Hamster am-stair	Hamster am-stair	Bébé hamster beh-beh am-stair	Groupe grewp
Guinea pig	(Le) cochon d’Inde coo-shohn dande	Cochons d’Inde coo-shohn dande	Cochon d’Inde coo-shohn dande	Cochon d’Inde coo-shohn dande	Bébé cochon d’Inde beh-beh coo-shohn dande	Groupe grewp
Parrot	(Le) perroquet pair-rho-kay	Perroquets pair-rho-kay	Perroquet pair-rho-kay	Perroquet pair-rho-kay	Bébé perroquet beh-beh pair-rho-kay	Volée voh-leh
Ferret	(Le) furet fyoo-ray	Furets fyoo-ray	Furet fyoo-ray	Furet fyoo-ray	Bébé furet beh-beh fyoo-ray	Groupe grewp

5. Animal songs in French

Animal songs in French for adults

• Le lion est mort ce soir, Pow Wow: A great French a capella rendition of the classic “The lion sleeps tonight”. Get ready to sing along!
• Le chat, Téléphone: The adventures of a very special cat by a popular French band.
• Le voyage de l’ourson, Freddy Zucchet: A moving song about a polar bear cub and the consequences of global warming.

Animal songs in French for kids

• Dans sa maison un grand cerf: A classic nursery rhyme for the little ones… or anybody who is learning French!
• Une souris verte: Another classic that any French kid or adult knows.
• Sous l’océan, La petite sirène: The French version of the Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea”, to learn all the sea animals in French… as well as the musical instruments!
• Ouvrez la cage aux oiseaux, Pierre Perret: A delightful song for adults and kids alike to celebrate freedom.

6. Funny animal-related sayings, quotes, phrases

Rire comme une baleine	To laugh like a whale	To roar with laughter
Être serrés comme des sardines	To be packed like sardines	To be crowded, very close together
Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter	To have other cats to whip	To have other fish to fry
Quand les poules auront des dents	When hens have teeth	When pigs can fly
Revenons à nos moutons	Let’s return to our sheep	To get back to the topic
Parler le français comme une vache espagnole	To speak French like a Spanish cow	To speak French badly (if that’s your case, try to learn French online!)
Quand on parle du loup	Speaking of the wolf	Speaking of the devil
Avoir le cafard	To have the cockroach	To feel blue
Donner de la confiture à un cochon	To feed jam to a pig	Give something valuable to somebody who doesn’t appreciate it
Comme un poisson dans l’eau	Like a fish in water	To be comfortable in a situation
Un ours mal léché	A badly licked bear	Somebody who is in a bad mood/difficult to deal with

So did you manage to learn all the key animals in French?

Oh la vache, vous avez une mémoire d’éléphant! (two French expressions meaning “Oh my God” and “you have a great memory”).

If you’re finding pronunciation a challenge, it’s time to prendre le taureau par les cornes (French expression meaning “To tackle/face an issue”) and you might find it helps to learn the French alphabet with pronunciation.

Last but not least: Quel est votre animal préféré? Let us know on social media!