côtier

coastal

adjective koh-TYEH Rare

Usage Note

Côtier (feminine côtière) describes anything relating to or situated along a coast: la pêche côtière (inshore fishing), une ville côtière (a coastal town). It is common in geography, ecology, and navigation. The root noun is la côte (coast), which also means 'rib' and 'slope' — a frequent source of ambiguity for learners.

Examples

"La région côtière attire de nombreux touristes."

Natural Translation

The coastal region attracts many tourists.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Numbers 70, 80, 90 Made Simple

French numbers 70, 80, 90 are soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, and quatre-vingt-dix. Learn three build formulas to make any number 70-99 on the fly.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Café Culture: How to Order Like a Local

In a French café, un café means espresso, one drink rents the table for an hour, and you must ask for the bill. Order coffee like a local with these phrases.

June 4, 2026 7 min read

FrenchNow

En, Au, Aux: French Prepositions for Countries

Use en for feminine countries, au for masculine, aux for plural, and à for cities. Full French preposition rule for countries, with a lookup table and traps.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Liaison Rules: When to Link Words (and Not To)

French liaison links a silent final consonant to the next vowel. Learn the obligatory, forbidden, and optional rules, plus the s→z and d→t sound shifts.

June 4, 2026 5 min read