French · Body & Health

"Mouth" in French: bouche

la bouche

Say it: BOOSHfeminine · la bouchenoun/buʃ/

Mouth in French is la bouche, feminine, said BOOSH. Ferme la bouche means close your mouth. Une bouchée is a mouthful. Keep bouche for the body part; oral is more medical.

Dentist visit

Ouvre la bouche, s'il te plaît.
Open your mouth, please.
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How to pronounce bouche

Say it

BOOSH

/buʃ/

BOOSH. The ou is like oo in food. Ch is soft as in Chicago. Final e is light.

"Mouth" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
la bouchethe mouth

Body part.

fermer / ouvrir la boucheto close / open one's mouth

Literal or "say something".

à pleine bouchewith one's mouth full

Often about speaking while eating.

une bouchéea mouthful / bite

Food portions.

How to use bouche in real life

  1. 1Dentist visit

    Ouvre la bouche, s'il te plaît.

    Open your mouth, please.

    Direct body instruction with la bouche.

  2. 2Spicy food

    Attention, ça brûle la bouche !

    Careful, it burns the mouth!

    La bouche as the place that feels heat.

  3. 3Quiet reminder

    Ferme la bouche, le film commence.

    Close your mouth; the film is starting.

    Can mean stop talking, gently or not.

Mistakes English speakers make with bouche

Incorrect: Le bouche est sèche.

Correct: La bouche est sèche.

Bouche is feminine: la bouche.

Incorrect: J'ai mal au mouth.

Correct: J'ai mal à la bouche.

Use bouche, not English mouth.

Good to know

Food writing loves en bouche (on the palate). Mot de la fin style chats still use ne m'ouvre pas la bouche for "don't get me started," though tone matters.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Trying a very spicy sauce

  1. ChatPal

    Ça va ? Tu touches ta bouche.

    You okay? You're touching your mouth.

  2. You

    Oui, j'ai la bouche en feu !

    Yes, my mouth is on fire!

  3. ChatPal

    Bois du lait. Ça calme la bouche.

    Drink some milk. It soothes the mouth.

  4. You

    Merci, bonne idée.

    Thanks, good idea.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Mouth" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Mouth" in French

How do I say open your mouth?

Ouvre la bouche (tu) or ouvrez la bouche (vous).

Is bouche masculine or feminine?

Feminine: la bouche.

What is une bouchée?

A mouthful or small bite of food.

How do you pronounce bouche?

BOOSH, with oo and soft ch.

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