French words for kids · Animals
How to say “dog” in French
Dogs are everywhere: in the park, in books, next door. And they "bark" differently depending on the language, which kids find hilarious.
Dog in French
le chien
Sounds like ≈ luh SHYA(N)
Good to know: The ch is a soft "sh" and the ending is nasal. French dogs say ouaf ouaf (or wouf).
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our French songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Le chien !
The dog!
from Le chat et le chien (The Cat and the Dog)
Chien !
Dog!
from Que dit l'animal ? (What Does the Animal Say?)
The song that teaches it
“Dog” is one of the key words in this song. Every line is shown in French with its English meaning.
Also sung in: Que dit l'animal ?.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Say chien every time you see a dog on a walk, and count them.
- 2Learn how a dog barks in French from the song and bark along together.
- 3Play "fetch": your child is the dog, you call chien to come back.
Related French words
“Dog” in other languages
Sing it in French, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Frenchhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using French songs with your family.