French Flower Names: Your Guide to Beautiful Flower Names in French

Many people consider French to be the most romantic language in the world. And do you know what else is romantic? Flowers, of course! Maybe that’s why flower names in French sound so beautiful and elegant.

In this article, we’re going to help you expand your vocabulary by teaching you French flower names (including pronunciation). We’ll also dive into the cultural significance of popular French flowers and give you some practical tips on how to actually talk about flowers in French.

The Most Popular Flowers in French

Learning French isn’t just about mastering vocabulary. To truly become fluent in a language, it’s also important to consider the cultural context behind it. So, before we give you a list of the most common French flower names, let’s look into what flowers really mean to French people.

In France, flowers often have historical or cultural significance. They’re well-known symbols that French people are proud of.

Here are some of the most popular flowers in French:

1. Fleur de lys

• France’s national flower.
• Sometimes spelled as “fleur de lis,” though “lys” is the more modern version.
• As a symbol, this flower is often associated with French royalty, but it has also been used in political, religious, and artistic contexts.
• While the name literally means “flower of the lily,” it actually depicts a type of iris flower (namely, the sweet iris).

2. Lavender

• Famous thanks to the Provence region.
• Many visit France during the summer to enjoy the popular lavender fields.

3. Cornflower

• Similar to the remembrance poppy.
• In France, people wear cornflower badges to remember and honor fallen soldiers who fought for France.

4. Chrysanthemum

• A symbol of death.
• Chrysanthemums are the flowers that French people put on graves during Toussaint (All Saints’ Day). 
• Because of the meaning of this flower, it’s inappropriate to give it to a living person in France.

5. Lily of the valley

• Symbol of spring, renewal, and happiness.
• French people give this flower to their family and friends on their Labor Day (May 1) to bring good luck.

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30 Beautiful French Flower Names with Pronunciation

Now that you know what the most famous flowers in French are, let’s take a look at some other ones. These flowers may not be national symbols, but they’re still important to know, especially if you’re someone who loves house plants or buying bouquets for your loved ones.

The good news is that there’s a good amount of overlap between English and French flower names. As a language, French has had a lot of influence on English, meaning that there are many French words that English speakers regularly use. This should make it easier for you to learn.

But without any further ado, here are 30 popular French names for flowers:

Tip: Are you struggling with some of those pronunciation symbols? Those are actually part of the International Phonetic Alphabet (or IPA). If you need help figuring it out, check out this quick video on IPA for French by Learn French with Paul:

How to Use Flower Names in French

If you’ve mastered the above French flower names vocabulary list, well done. Now, let’s explore how to actually use these words in a sentence.

First, let’s look at some other flower-related French words you should know:

Next, let’s go over some example sentences: 

1. My favorite flower is…

Say “ma fleur préférée est” + name of your favorite flower in French.

• For example: Ma fleur préférée est la pivoine. (My favorite flower is the peony.) 

2. Ordering from a florist

• Bonjour, je voudrais commander des fleurs. (Hello, I would like to order some flowers.)
• Je voudrais un bouquet de fleurs. (I would like a bouquet of flowers.)
• Je voudrais un bouquet de roses. (I would like a bouquet of roses.)
• J'ai un budget de... (My budget is...) 

3. Talking about flowers

• Colette a mis les fleurs dans le vase. (Colette put the flowers in the vase.)
• Il y a des marguerites dans mon jardin. (There are daisies in my garden.)
• Au Nouvel An, les gens s'embrassent sous le gui. (On New Year’s, people kiss under the mistletoe.)
• Mon mari m'a offert un bouquet de roses. (My husband gave me a bouquet of roses.)
• J'adore l'odeur du jasmin en été. (I love the smell of jasmine in summer.)
• Je suis allergique au pollen. (I am allergic to pollen.)

4. French flower sayings and idioms

• La vie en rose (“life in pink”) = “life through rose-tinted glasses.”
• Être fleur bleue (“to be a blue flower”) = “to be sentimental or naive.”
• Jeter des fleurs à quelqu'un (“to throw flowers at someone”) = “to shower someone with compliments.”
• Être rouge comme une pivoine (“to be red as a peony”) = “to blush deeply (when embarrassed or shy).”

Tip: If you’d like to learn more about the grammar in some of the above constructions, check out these articles for French beginners.

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Want to boost your vocabulary, improve your grammar, and become fluent in French? Then why stop at learning French flower names? With Promova, you can dive much deeper into this beautiful language and reach your French goals.

Our app offers interactive lessons, bite-sized exercises and quizzes, and even an AI role-play assistant to help you practice your speaking and gain more confidence. 

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Conclusion

Learning flowers in French isn’t as hard as it might seem at first. Many English flower names actually come from French, which makes learning all these words much simpler for English speakers. 

What’s more, French is an elegant and romantic language, and these French flower names clearly prove that. Who wouldn’t want to learn such pretty words?