joie

joy

noun ZHWAH Less Common

Usage Note

Joie is a strong, radiant happiness — more intense than simple contentment (bonheur). The idiom sauter de joie means to jump for joy, and joie de vivre (borrowed directly into English) captures the French spirit of enjoying life. The adjective joyeux / joyeuse means 'joyful' and appears in Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas).

Examples

"La joie des enfants était contagieuse."

Natural Translation

The children's joy was contagious.

Literal Translation

The joy of the children was contagious.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

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

FrenchNow

French Greetings: Bonjour, Salut, Coucou Explained

Bonjour, salut, or coucou? Pick the right French greeting every time with a simple two-axis guide to formality and time of day, plus how to say goodbye.

June 4, 2026 5 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 Numbers 1 to 100: Count With Confidence

French numbers 1 to 100 in one complete chart, with pronunciation, the et-un rule, hyphens, and the four-twenties system explained so you can count anywhere.

June 4, 2026 6 min read