The word le bras is the most common way to say 'arm' in French, covering everything from your shoulder to your wrist. But what if you want to be more specific or use a more colorful expression? French, like any language, has various ways to talk about this essential body part. Whether you're describing an ache, talking about a specific part of the arm, or using a common idiom, knowing these different terms will make your French sound much more natural. Let's dive into 9 different ways to say 'arm' in French and expand your vocabulary!

1. The standard 'arm' – le bras

The standard and most common word for 'arm' in French is le bras.

Le bras refers to the entire limb, from the shoulder down to the hand. It's a masculine noun, so you'll always use masculine articles like le or un.

A crucial point for pronunciation is that the final 's' in bras is silent. This means the singular (le bras) and the plural (les bras) sound exactly the same. The only difference you'll hear is the pronunciation of the article preceding it.

Since the singular and plural forms sound identical, you must rely on the context and the article (le vs. les) to know if someone is talking about one arm or multiple arms.

Like in English, le bras is featured in many common idiomatic expressions that are essential for sounding like a native speaker.

A very common expression is coûter un bras, which literally translates to 'to cost an arm.' It's the direct French equivalent of the English idiom 'to cost an arm and a leg,' meaning something is very expensive.

You will also frequently encounter the phrase à bras ouverts (with open arms). For example, Il m'a accueilli à bras ouverts means 'He welcomed me with open arms.'

💡 * Il s'est cassé le bras en jouant au football.

• Le bébé tend les bras vers sa mère.
• Ce sac de luxe coûte un bras !
• Nous vous accueillons à bras ouverts dans notre ville.
• Croise les bras et attends ton tour.

The 'forearm' – l'avant-bras

The French term for the 'forearm' is l'avant-bras.

This is a compound noun, which literally translates to 'before-arm' or 'front-arm'. It is formed by combining the preposition avant (meaning 'before') and the noun bras (meaning 'arm'). This logical construction makes it easier to remember.

L'avant-bras is a masculine noun. An important grammatical point to note is that its spelling does not change in the plural form. You would say un avant-bras for one forearm and des avant-bras for multiple forearms.

This term is used straightforwardly in various contexts, including anatomy, medical situations, sports, and general descriptions. For example, you might use it to describe an injury, a muscle, or the location of a tattoo.

To talk about the entire arm, it's helpful to know related words: le bras (the upper arm), le coude (the elbow), le poignet (the wrist), and la main (the hand).

💡 * Il s'est fait un tatouage sur l'avant-bras gauche.

• J'ai une douleur musculaire dans l'avant-bras après avoir porté des cartons lourds.
• Le joueur de tennis a des avant-bras très développés.
• Le médecin a examiné son avant-bras pour vérifier s'il y avait une fracture.

The 'upper arm' – le haut du bras

To talk about the upper arm in French, you use the descriptive phrase le haut du bras. This is the most common and direct way to refer to the part of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow.

The phrase literally translates to "the top of the arm." Let's break it down:

• le haut means "the top" or "the upper part."
• du is a mandatory contraction of de + le, meaning "of the."
• bras means "arm." Together, they precisely identify the upper portion of the limb.

le haut du bras is used in all contexts, from casual conversation to medical settings. While le bras can sometimes refer to the whole arm, using le haut du bras adds clarity and specifies that you are not talking about the forearm (l'avant-bras).

When referring to both upper arms, the phrase becomes les hauts des bras. Notice that both haut and bras become plural. For example, you would say someone has muscular upper arms using this plural form.

💡 * Je me suis fait mal au haut du bras en portant les courses.

• Le médecin m'a fait une piqûre dans le haut du bras gauche.
• Elle a un tatouage sur le haut du bras.
• Ses muscles sur les hauts des bras sont bien développés.

1. The 'arm' of a chair or sofa – l'accoudoir

The French word for the arm of a chair, sofa, or armchair is l'accoudoir (masculine). It refers to the part of the furniture where you rest your arms.

The word is derived from le coude, which means 'the elbow'. Thinking of it as the place for your elbow (coude) makes it much easier to remember.

The singular form is un accoudoir or l'accoudoir. The plural form, referring to both arms of a chair, is les accoudoirs.

This term applies universally to armrests on any seating, including a fauteuil (armchair), a canapé (sofa), and even seats in a car (voiture) or movie theater (cinéma).

💡 * Le chat aime dormir sur l'accoudoir du fauteuil. (The cat likes to sleep on the arm of the armchair.)

• J'ai laissé la télécommande sur l'accoudoir. (I left the remote on the armrest.)
• Ce canapé n'a pas d'accoudoirs, c'est un design moderne. (This sofa doesn't have arms, it's a modern design.)
• Les accoudoirs de ce siège d'avion sont trop étroits. (The armrests on this airplane seat are too narrow.)

The 'arm' of a river – le bras de rivière

The phrase le bras de rivière literally translates to 'the arm of a river.' This is a direct and standard term used in French.

In geography, a bras de rivière refers to a branch or distributary of a river that splits off from the main channel. It's a smaller stream that diverges from the main body of water, often rejoining it later or flowing into the sea separately.

This is a formal, descriptive term, not slang. You will find it used in contexts like geography, cartography (map-making), and descriptions of natural landscapes. It is the correct and official term for this geographical feature.

The use of bras (arm) is very logical. Just as arms branch out from a person's torso, a bras de rivière branches out from the main river. This makes the term quite intuitive for learners to remember.

The plural form is les bras de rivière. It's used when talking about multiple branches, which is common in areas like river deltas where a river splits into many smaller channels.

💡 * Nous avons fait du kayak sur un bras de rivière tranquille. (We went kayaking on a calm arm of the river.)

• Le village est construit sur une île entre deux bras de la rivière. (The village is built on an island between two arms of the river.)
• Ce bras de rivière est moins profond que le canal principal. (This branch of the river is shallower than the main channel.)
• La carte montrait plusieurs bras de rivière formant un delta. (The map showed several river arms forming a delta.)

The 'right-hand man' – le bras droit

The French equivalent for 'right-hand man' is a wonderfully direct translation: le bras droit, which literally means 'the right arm'. This makes it one of the easier French idioms for English speakers to grasp.

Just as in English, le bras droit figuratively refers to someone's most essential and trusted assistant, deputy, or key collaborator. It's the person someone relies on implicitly to execute important tasks and support their goals.

This expression is most frequently used in a professional or organizational context. You'll hear it in business, politics, and even creative fields. A CEO might call their COO their bras droit, or a film director might refer to their first assistant director this way. The term carries connotations of loyalty, competence, and indispensability.

Interestingly, the expression le bras droit is used for both men and women. While grammatically masculine, it describes a role, not the person's gender. So, a female chief of staff would still be referred to as the president's bras droit.

💡 * Le directeur général a présenté son nouveau bras droit à toute l'équipe.

• Elle est rapidement devenue le bras droit du chef de projet.
• Je ne pourrais pas gérer cette entreprise sans mon bras droit.
• Qui est considéré comme le bras droit du Premier ministre ?

The 'arm' of the law – le bras de la loi

In French, the expression for the 'arm of the law' is a direct and literal translation: le bras de la loi. This powerful idiom is used in both languages to personify the reach and authority of legal justice.

The phrase le bras de la loi represents the power and enforcement capability of the legal system, including the police and the courts. It's commonly used in formal or literary contexts to describe justice catching up with someone or the inescapable nature of the law.

This expression is often paired with verbs like échapper à (to escape) or tomber sous (to fall under). For instance, échapper au bras de la loi means 'to escape the arm of the law,' a phrase you might hear in crime news or movies.

💡 * Personne n'échappe au bras de la loi. (No one escapes the arm of the law.)

• Le fugitif a finalement été rattrapé par le bras de la loi. (The fugitive was finally caught by the arm of the law.)
• Même les plus puissants doivent craindre le bras de la loi. (Even the most powerful must fear the arm of the law.)

The 'arm' as a formal/medical term – le membre supérieur

In formal, scientific, or medical contexts, the precise French term for the entire arm is le membre supérieur.

Literally translating to 'the upper limb,' le membre supérieur encompasses the whole structure from the shoulder to the fingertips. This includes the shoulder (l'épaule), the upper arm (le bras), the forearm (l'avant-bras), the wrist (le poignet), and the hand (la main).

You will almost exclusively encounter this term in a clinical or anatomical setting, such as in a doctor's report or a biology textbook. It is not used in casual, everyday conversation.

It's crucial to distinguish le membre supérieur from le bras. In common speech, le bras means 'arm,' but anatomically, it refers specifically to the upper arm (between the shoulder and elbow). Le membre supérieur is the correct term for the entire limb.

💡 * Le patient présente une paralysie complète du membre supérieur gauche.

• L'examen radiologique n'a révélé aucune fracture du membre supérieur.
• Les muscles du membre supérieur permettent une grande variété de mouvements.

1. The 'arm' of a record player – le bras de lecture

The French term for the 'arm' of a record player, also known as the tonearm, is le bras de lecture. This phrase literally translates to 'the arm of reading' or 'the reading arm'.

Let's break down the components of this term. Le bras means 'the arm', and la lecture means 'the reading'. In the context of a turntable (une platine vinyle), the term refers to the arm that holds the cartridge and stylus, which 'reads' the grooves on the vinyl record.

This is a specific technical term used when discussing the mechanics of a record player. You would use le bras de lecture when talking about setting up, repairing, or describing the function of a turntable. For example, balancing the tonearm is a crucial step for proper playback: il faut bien équilibrer le bras de lecture.

💡 * Il faut soulever doucement le bras de lecture pour ne pas rayer le disque.

• Le bras de lecture de ma platine est cassé, je dois le remplacer.
• Un bon bras de lecture est essentiel pour une qualité sonore optimale.
• Elle a positionné le bras de lecture au début de la première chanson.

Are there other ways to say 'arm' in French?

Are there other ways to say “arm” in French?

Our list features the most common way to say “arm” in French: le bras. But are there other terms? While slang for a body part like 'arm' isn't as varied as for a word like 'friend', French has a rich vocabulary for its different parts and the many expressions it's used in.

To expand your knowledge, you can do an online search for specific anatomical terms like “avant-bras” (forearm), “coude” (elbow), or “épaule” (shoulder).

You might find interesting related terms or idioms on this list. As always, make sure to check a word’s definition and see it used in context before you use it, as the meaning can change dramatically.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover the word bras used in many colorful expressions you wouldn't have expected.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different parts of the arm or related actions, the WordReference entry for bras is an excellent place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s a perfect French idiom to finish with: Avoir le bras long. It literally means 'to have a long arm,' but it's used to say someone has a lot of influence or connections. A great example of how a simple word can open up a new layer of the language!