When you think of the word 'bowl' in French, un bol is likely the first word that comes to mind, and it's certainly the most common one. However, depending on the size, shape, and what it's used for, there's a whole world of other 'bowls' out there in the French language!

Whether you're ordering soup in a Parisian bistro, buying a new dish for your dog, or preparing a large salad for a dinner party, knowing the right word will make you sound much more like a native speaker.

Let's dive into the 9 essential ways to say 'bowl' in French!

1. The standard 'bowl' – un bol

The most common and direct translation for 'bowl' in French is un bol. It's the essential, all-purpose word you'll use most often for this type of dishware.

A bol is typically a deep, often handle-less bowl used for breakfast. It's the classic choice for céréales (cereal), soupe (soup), and very traditionally, for drinking a large morning café au lait (coffee with milk) or chocolat chaud (hot chocolate).

Crucially, bol is a masculine noun. You must always say un bol (a bowl) or le bol (the bowl). The plural form is regular: des bols.

Don't confuse un bol with une tasse (a cup), which is smaller and usually has a handle. For a large serving bowl, especially for salad, the correct term is un saladier.

You'll frequently encounter bol in the popular informal expression en avoir ras le bol. This literally means 'to have one's bowl full to the brim,' and is used to say you're 'fed up' or 'have had enough' of something. For instance: J'en ai ras le bol de ce travail ! (I'm fed up with this job!).

💡 * Le matin, je bois mon café dans un grand bol.

Peux-tu me passer un bol pour la soupe, s'il te plaît ?

Les enfants mangent leurs céréales dans des bols colorés.

J'en ai ras le bol d'attendre le bus !

The 'salad bowl' – un saladier

To talk about a ‘salad bowl’ in French, the specific term you'll need is un saladier.

Un saladier is a masculine noun (nom masculin) that refers to the large bowl specifically used for mixing and serving salad.

It's important not to confuse un saladier with un bol. While un bol is a general term for a smaller bowl (like for soup or cereal), un saladier is typically larger and is specifically designated for salads.

The word itself gives a big clue to its meaning. It's formed from the word salade (salad) and the suffix -ier, which is often used in French to denote a container or a tool for something, much like un sucrier (a sugar bowl) comes from sucre (sugar).

You would use this word when asking someone to pass the salad at the dinner table, when looking for one in the kitchen, or when buying kitchenware. It's a common household item.

💡 * Pourrais-tu me passer le saladier, s'il te plaît ? (Could you pass me the salad bowl, please?)

J'ai acheté un grand saladier en verre pour nos dîners. (I bought a big glass salad bowl for our dinners.)

Mélange bien la vinaigrette dans le saladier avant de servir. (Mix the vinaigrette well in the salad bowl before serving.)

Où as-tu rangé le saladier après l'avoir lavé ? (Where did you put the salad bowl after washing it?)

The 'soup bowl' or 'deep plate' – une assiette creuse

When you need a dish for soup, stew, or pasta in France, you won't typically ask for a 'bowl'. Instead, the correct term is une assiette creuse.

Literally, une assiette creuse translates to a 'hollow plate' or 'deep plate'. Let's break it down:

une assiette: a plate
creuse: the feminine form of the adjective creux, meaning 'hollow' or 'deep'.

This is the standard piece of tableware used for any dish with a significant amount of liquid or sauce that would spill over a flat plate. Think of it as the French equivalent of a soup bowl, pasta bowl, or rimmed soup plate.

It's the direct counterpart to une assiette plate (a flat plate), which is used for drier main courses. In a traditional French table setting, you might find an assiette creuse placed on top of an assiette plate.

You can expect to be served dishes like soupe, pot-au-feu (a stew), risotto, or pasta in une assiette creuse. It's a fundamental piece of French vaisselle (dishes).

💡 * J'ai besoin d'une assiette creuse pour manger ma soupe.

Le cassoulet est servi dans une assiette creuse.

Peux-tu mettre les assiettes creuses sur la table pour les pâtes ?

Attention, cette assiette creuse est très chaude.

The 'small bowl' or 'ramekin' – un ramequin

The 'small bowl' or 'ramekin' – un ramequin

Un ramequin is the French word for a 'ramekin' or a small, round, oven-safe dish. It's typically made of ceramic or porcelain and is used for preparing and serving individual portions.

This word is almost exclusively used in a culinary context. You'll commonly find it used for individual desserts like crème brûlée, mousse au chocolat, or soufflés, as well as for savory dishes like baked eggs (œufs cocotte).

It's important to note that ramequin is a masculine noun. Therefore, it is always referred to as un ramequin (a ramekin) or le ramequin (the ramekin).

💡 * J'ai acheté six nouveaux ramequins pour le dîner de ce soir. (I bought six new ramekins for dinner tonight.)

Attention, le ramequin est très chaud en sortant du four. (Be careful, the ramekin is very hot when coming out of the oven.)

Pour cette recette, vous aurez besoin d'un ramequin par personne. (For this recipe, you will need one ramekin per person.)

Servez la sauce dans un petit ramequin à côté du plat principal. (Serve the sauce in a small bowl next to the main dish.)

The 'large mixing bowl' – une jatte

The 'large mixing bowl' – une jatte

A jatte is a large, wide, and often shallow bowl, typically without handles. It's primarily used in the kitchen for mixing ingredients like cake batter or for serving large salads.

You will encounter this term most frequently in culinary contexts, such as in French recipes or when discussing kitchenware. It's more specific than the general word for bowl, un bol.

Remember that jatte is a feminine noun. Therefore, you always use feminine articles like une or la, for example: une grande jatte (a large mixing bowl).

Don't confuse une jatte with un bol or un saladier. Un bol is smaller and used for individual portions (like soup or cereal), while un saladier is specifically a salad bowl. A jatte is a more general-purpose large mixing bowl.

💡 * Verse la farine dans une grande jatte. (Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl.)

J'ai besoin d'une jatte pour préparer la pâte à gâteau. (I need a mixing bowl to prepare the cake batter.)

Peux-tu me passer la jatte qui est sur la table ? (Can you pass me the bowl that is on the table?)

Mélangez les œufs et le sucre dans la jatte. (Mix the eggs and sugar in the mixing bowl.)

The 'fruit bowl' – une coupe à fruits

In French, one of the most common ways to say 'fruit bowl' is une coupe à fruits. This term literally translates to a 'bowl for fruits' and is widely understood in any context, from home kitchens to stores.

The word coupe can mean 'cup,' 'goblet,' or 'bowl.' The preposition à is used here to indicate purpose. So, une coupe à fruits is a bowl specifically intended for holding fruit. This is a common structure in French, like une tasse à café (a coffee cup) or un verre à vin (a wine glass).

You will also frequently hear or see une corbeille à fruits. A corbeille is technically a 'basket.' This term is often used for fruit bowls made of wicker, wire, or other woven materials, but it can also be used more generally, much like coupe à fruits.

Both une coupe à fruits and une corbeille à fruits refer to the container itself. If you want to talk about a bowl filled with fruit, you would say une coupe de fruits, which means 'a bowl of fruit.' Notice the change from à (for) to de (of).

💡 * J'ai mis les bananes dans la coupe à fruits sur le comptoir.

Nous avons reçu une belle corbeille à fruits comme cadeau de mariage.

La coupe à fruits est vide, il faut acheter des pommes.

Pour le dessert, elle a préparé une grande coupe de fruits frais.

The culinary 'mixing bowl' – un cul-de-poule

In the world of French cooking, especially in pâtisserie (pastry-making), the standard mixing bowl is known by a rather peculiar name: un cul-de-poule.

Literally translating to 'chicken's bottom,' this term refers to a specific type of mixing bowl, typically made of stainless steel with a round, stable base. Its shape is ideal for whisking ingredients efficiently, preventing them from getting stuck in corners.

Cul-de-poule is a masculine noun. Therefore, you always say un cul-de-poule or le cul-de-poule. The plural form is des culs-de-poule.

💡 * Pour faire la meringue, il faut battre les blancs d'œufs dans un cul-de-poule bien propre. (To make meringue, you must beat the egg whites in a very clean mixing bowl.)

Faites fondre le chocolat au bain-marie en utilisant un cul-de-poule en inox. (Melt the chocolate in a double boiler using a stainless steel mixing bowl.)

Peux-tu me passer le grand cul-de-poule pour mélanger la pâte à gâteau ? (Can you pass me the large mixing bowl to mix the cake batter?)

The 'small dish' or 'cup' – une coupelle

The “small dish” or “cup” – une coupelle

The French noun une coupelle refers to a small, often shallow bowl, dish, or cup. As a feminine noun, it is always preceded by articles like une or la. It's a common word for small containers used for various purposes, especially for food.

You will typically find a coupelle used for serving small portions of food. Think of a dish for sauces (like soy sauce), a small bowl for olives or nuts as an appetizer (apéritif), or a container for a single serving of dessert like a mousse or ice cream.

It's important not to confuse une coupelle with un bol (a larger bowl for soup or cereal) or une tasse (a cup for drinking coffee or tea). A coupelle is defined by its small size and is generally used for holding things rather than drinking from.

💡 * Peux-tu me passer la coupelle de sauce, s'il te plaît ? (Can you pass me the small dish of sauce, please?)

J'ai préparé des coupelles de fruits frais pour le dessert. (I prepared small bowls of fresh fruit for dessert.)

Elle utilise une jolie coupelle en céramique pour garder ses bijoux. (She uses a pretty ceramic dish to keep her jewelry.)

Pour l'apéritif, il y avait des coupelles remplies d'olives et de cacahuètes. (For the appetizer, there were small dishes filled with olives and peanuts.)

1. The Earthenware Bowl: Une Terrine

In French, une terrine primarily refers to a deep, rectangular, straight-sided earthenware dish, often with a lid. The name itself is derived from terre, the French word for 'earth' or 'clay', which points to the traditional material used to make the dish.

Crucially, the word une terrine also describes the food that is cooked within this dish. This is typically a form of coarse pâté made from ground meat (such as pork, game, or duck), vegetables, or fish, which is slowly cooked and then served cold in slices.

When you encounter terrine on a French menu, it almost always refers to the prepared food, not the dish itself. It's a classic starter (entrée) in French cuisine, commonly served with cornichons (small pickles), mustard, and crusty bread. Popular variations include terrine de campagne (country terrine) and terrine de saumon (salmon terrine).

💡 *Pour l'entrée, nous avons partagé une délicieuse terrine de campagne. (For the starter, we shared a delicious country terrine.)
*Ma grand-mère prépare la meilleure terrine de lapin. (My grandmother makes the best rabbit terrine.)
*J'ai besoin d'une terrine en céramique pour cuire ce plat. (I need a ceramic terrine dish to cook this dish.)
*Servez la terrine en tranches avec une salade verte. (Serve the terrine in slices with a green salad.)

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

Our list has covered the most common ways to say 'bowl' in French, especially the versatile word un bol. However, French vocabulary is rich with specific terms for different types of bowls used in cooking and dining.

You can expand your knowledge by doing an online search for specific terms like 'comment dire salad bowl en français' which will lead you to words like 'un saladier', or 'un cul-de-poule' for a mixing bowl.

When you learn a new word for a type of bowl, try to see it used in context. Notice if it's for serving, mixing, or eating. This will help you understand the subtle differences and use the words like a native speaker.

Pay attention when you watch French cooking shows, browse online marketplaces, or read recipes. You'll start to see a variety of terms for bowls and other kitchenware, giving you a delicious insight into French daily life.

If you're looking for more vocabulary related to kitchen items, the WordReference entry for bol is a great place to start. It often provides context, compound nouns, and forum discussions that can clarify usage.

I hope this article has helped fill your vocabulary with useful terms. While there isn't a famous French quote about bowls, remember that every meal shared from one is an opportunity for connection. Bon appétit et bon apprentissage ! (Enjoy your meal and happy learning!)

'9 ways to say "bowl" in French'