bambou

bamboo

noun bahn-BOO Rare

Origin: From Malay 'bambu' via Portuguese 'bambu'.

Usage Note

Bambou is masculine and its plural is bambous. The idiom avoir le coup de bambou means to be struck by sudden exhaustion or heatstroke — and colloquially to be overcharged for something. The plant itself is associated with Asia and is popular in French garden design.

Examples

"Le jardin est entouré de bambous."

Natural Translation

The garden is surrounded by bamboo.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Je t'aime vs Je t'adore: I Love You in French

Je t'aime is the real romantic I love you; je t'adore means warm fondness, not romance. Here's the person-vs-thing rule and the bien trap that flips it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French False Friends: 25 Faux Amis to Avoid

French false friends look like English words but mean something else: actuellement is not actually, sensible means sensitive. Here are 25 faux amis to avoid.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Le, La, Un, Du: French Articles Made Simple

Le, la, un, du, des made simple: pick the French article family by meaning, the form by gender, and dodge the two mistakes English speakers always make.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read