The most common and direct way to say “face” in French is visage. It's the word you'll learn in any beginner's French class. But the French language, rich with nuance and slang, offers many other colorful options.

Learning these alternatives will not only expand your vocabulary but also help you understand native speakers better and express yourself more precisely in different social contexts. After all, you wouldn't use the same word to describe a cherub's face as you would a boxer's mug!

Let's explore 9 ways to say “face” in French, from the classic to the colloquial.

The standard word for 'face' – visage

The standard word for 'face' – visage.

Visage is the most common, neutral, and widely used word for 'face' in French. It's the direct equivalent of the English word 'face' in most contexts.

It's important to know that visage is a masculine noun. Therefore, you always use masculine articles and adjectives with it:

• le visage (the face)
• un visage (a face)
• mon visage (my face)
• un beau visage (a beautiful face)

This word is appropriate for all situations, from formal and medical contexts to everyday casual conversation. Whether you're at the doctor's office or talking with friends, visage is the correct and safe choice.

Beyond the literal, physical face, visage can also be used figuratively to mean the 'aspect,' 'side,' or 'appearance' of a situation, a problem, or a company. For example, le vrai visage de la crise means 'the true face of the crisis'.

You will often find visage in idiomatic expressions:

• À visage découvert: To do something openly, without hiding.
• Changer de visage: To change appearance or aspect.
• Garder son visage: To keep a straight face or remain impassive.

While visage is standard, you might hear la figure, which is a slightly more familiar synonym. Be very careful with la gueule, which means an animal's face or snout and is highly offensive when referring to a person, similar to calling someone's face a 'mug' or 'gob'.

💡 * Elle a un visage très familier.

• Lave-toi le visage avant de dormir.
• La pauvreté a plusieurs visages.
• Il a affronté le danger à visage découvert.
• Son visage s'est illuminé d'un sourire.

The 'figure' or 'countenance' – figure

In French, the word figure might look familiar, but it's a classic faux ami (false friend) for English speakers. While it can refer to a shape or diagram in specific contexts, its most common, everyday meaning is the face or countenance.

When a French speaker talks about someone's figure, they are almost always referring to their face—its features, expression, and overall appearance. It is often used interchangeably with visage, but can sometimes carry a slightly more literary or descriptive tone.

The word figure is embedded in many common French expressions that are useful to know. For instance, faire bonne figure means 'to put on a brave face,' and the reflexive verb se figurer means 'to imagine' or 'to picture something'.

So, how do you talk about a person's body shape? To refer to someone's 'figure' in the English sense, you should use words like la silhouette or la morphologie. Saying someone has a belle figure in French is a compliment about their beautiful face, not their body.

You'll often hear figure used in descriptions. A novel might say, 'Il avait une figure fatiguée' (He had a tired face), or you might hear someone trying to recall a person: 'Sa figure me dit quelque chose' (His face looks familiar).

💡 * Elle a une figure très douce et sympathique.

• Ne fais pas cette figure-là, tout va bien se passer.
• Je n'arrive pas à mettre un nom sur sa figure.
• Il faut faire bonne figure même quand c'est difficile.
• Figure-toi qu'il a gagné à la loterie !

The informal 'mug' – gueule

The word gueule is a very common but highly informal, and often vulgar, French slang term. While its literal translation is the 'mouth' or 'snout' of an animal, when applied to a person, it's often equivalent to the English 'mug' for face, or 'trap' for mouth.

Originally, gueule refers specifically to the mouth and jaw area of an animal, like a dog or a lion. Using this word to describe a human's face or mouth is what makes it slang. It carries a strong, often pejorative or aggressive, connotation because it can be seen as dehumanizing.

One of the most frequent and aggressive uses of this word is in the command Ta gueule ! or the slightly longer Ferme ta gueule !. This is a very rude way to say 'Shut up!' or 'Shut your trap!' and should be used with extreme caution, as it is considered an insult.

Gueule is also a key component in many popular idioms. For example, avoir la gueule de bois literally means 'to have a wooden mug' but is the standard way to say 'to have a hangover'. Another one is se casser la gueule, which means 'to fall flat on one's face' or 'to fail spectacularly'.

Because of its vulgarity, gueule is a word reserved for very informal situations, typically among close friends who are comfortable with strong language. You should avoid using it in polite company, with strangers, or in any kind of formal or professional setting.

💡 * Ferme ta gueule, tu fais trop de bruit ! (Shut your trap, you're making too much noise!)

• J'ai une sacrée gueule de bois ce matin. (I have a massive hangover this morning.)
• Il s'est cassé la gueule en descendant les escaliers. (He fell flat on his face coming down the stairs.)
• Quelle gueule ! Il n'a pas dormi de la nuit. (What a face/look! He didn't sleep all night.)

The 'head' used as 'face' – tête

While tête literally translates to 'head' in French, it is very commonly used in informal and colloquial speech to mean 'face'.

This slang usage often replaces the more formal word visage (face) in everyday conversation, especially when describing someone's general appearance, mood, or facial expression.

You will frequently encounter tête in set phrases. For example, faire la tête means 'to sulk' or 'pout,' and describing someone as having a bonne tête means they have a friendly or trustworthy face.

💡 * Pourquoi tu fais cette tête ? (Why are you making that face?)

• Ce type a une tête qui ne me revient pas. (I don't like the look of that guy's face.)
• Arrête de faire la tête, ce n'est pas si grave. (Stop sulking, it's not that serious.)
• Elle a une bonne tête, on peut lui faire confiance. (She has a kind face, we can trust her.)

The 'look' or 'expression' – mine

The 'look' or 'expression' – mine

Mine is a feminine noun in French that refers to a person's appearance, look, or facial expression. It's the overall impression someone gives off, particularly through their face.

It's most often used with the verb avoir (to have). For instance, avoir bonne mine means 'to look well' or 'to look healthy,' while its opposite, avoir mauvaise mine, means 'to look unwell' or 'sick'.

You can combine mine with various adjectives to describe someone's mood or state. For example, une mine triste (a sad expression), une mine réjouie (a happy look), or une mine fatiguée (a tired look).

A very common and useful expression is faire mine de + infinitive, which means 'to pretend to do something' or 'to act as if'. This idiom extends the idea of a 'look' to a feigned action.

💡 * Tu as bonne mine aujourd'hui, tu as passé un bon week-end ? (You look well today, did you have a good weekend?)

• Il a fait mine de ne pas nous entendre quand on l'a appelé. (He pretended not to hear us when we called him.)
• Pourquoi est-ce que tu fais cette mine-là ? (Why are you making that face?)
• Elle est rentrée du travail avec une mine épuisée. (She came home from work looking exhausted.)

The slang for 'face' – tronche

While the standard French word for 'face' is visage, a very common and informal slang term you'll hear is tronche. Think of it as the French equivalent of 'mug' or 'kisser' in English. It's widely used in everyday conversation among friends.

Tronche is not a neutral term. It often carries a slightly pejorative or humorous connotation. It can be used to describe an ugly face, a funny-looking face, or simply to refer to someone's head or face in a very casual, sometimes disrespectful, way. For example, Quelle tronche ! could mean 'What a face!' or 'What a look!'

The word is most frequently used in specific idiomatic expressions. The most common one is faire la tronche, which means 'to sulk,' 'to pout,' or 'to pull a long face.' Another one is se payer la tronche de quelqu'un, which means 'to make fun of someone' or 'to pull someone's leg.'

Because of its informal and slightly rude nature, you should only use tronche with close friends or in very casual situations. Using it in a formal setting or with someone you don't know well would be considered impolite. Stick to visage in polite company.

💡 * Arrête de faire la tronche, ce n'est pas si grave.

• Il a une drôle de tronche ce matin.
• Mes amis se sont payé ma tronche à cause de ma nouvelle coupe de cheveux.

The cute, informal 'little face' – bouille

The French word bouille is a feminine noun (une bouille) and an informal, affectionate term for a person's face, particularly a child's. It often implies a cute, round, or chubby face and carries a sense of endearment.

Unlike the neutral word visage (face), bouille is used in familiar contexts to express affection. You might use it to talk about a baby's adorable face (une bonne bouille) or a child's sad expression (une petite bouille triste). It highlights the charm and expressiveness of the face.

While most commonly associated with children, bouille can sometimes be used for adults if they have a particularly friendly, open, or youthful face. However, it retains its informal and affectionate tone and would be out of place in formal situations.

💡 * Regarde sa petite bouille, il a l'air si content ! (Look at his cute little face, he looks so happy!)

• J'adore sa bouille d'ange. (I love her angel face.)
• Elle a fait une drôle de bouille quand elle a goûté le citron. (She made a funny face when she tasted the lemon.)

The affectionate 'little face' or 'mug' – frimousse

The affectionate 'little face' or 'mug' – frimousse

Frimousse (a feminine noun) is an affectionate and informal term for a 'little face' or 'cute mug.' It's almost exclusively used to describe the face of a child, and occasionally a young woman, in a charming and endearing way.

This word carries a strong sense of innocence and cuteness. You'd use it when admiring a child's sweet expression. For instance, you might comment on a baby's jolie frimousse (pretty little face). It is not used for adults, especially men, and belongs in familiar, informal settings.

You might also hear the expression faire une frimousse, which means 'to make a face' or 'to pout,' often in a cute or slightly sulky way a child would. It's a much gentler alternative to the standard word for face, visage.

💡 * Quelle adorable frimousse ! (What an adorable little face!)

• Le bébé a une frimousse toute ronde. (The baby has a chubby little face.)
• Arrête de faire cette frimousse, tu vas me faire rire. (Stop making that face, you're going to make me laugh.)

1. The 'portrait' or 'likeness' – portrait

The French word for a 'portrait' or 'likeness' is portrait. As a direct cognate, its primary meaning is identical to the English word, referring to a painting, photograph, drawing, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant.

In French, portrait is a masculine noun. Therefore, you should always use masculine articles and agreements, such as un portrait (a portrait) or le portrait (the portrait).

Beyond a physical artwork, portrait is also used to describe a written or spoken description of a person's character or appearance. A biography or a detailed article about someone can be referred to as a portrait.

A common phrase is faire le portrait de quelqu'un, which means 'to paint someone's portrait' or, more figuratively, 'to describe someone in detail'. For example, if a witness is asked to describe a suspect, they are asked to faire son portrait.

💡 * Le Louvre expose un célèbre portrait de Mona Lisa.

• Le journaliste a écrit un portrait fascinant de l'artiste.
• C'est un portrait fidèle de la vie au 19ème siècle.
• Mon père a commandé un portrait de famille pour son anniversaire.

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

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

Our list features the most common ways to say “face” in French, from the standard visage to the very informal gueule. But the French language is rich with expressions and nuances, and you’ll encounter other terms in literature, specific idioms, or evolving slang.

To discover more, you can do an online search for “expressions avec le mot visage” (expressions with the word face) to see how the concept is used figuratively in French culture.

You might find some interesting synonyms for visage this way. As always, it’s crucial to check a word’s definition and context. The difference in tone between visage, figure, and gueule is significant, so observe how native speakers use them before trying them yourself.

Pay close attention as you watch, read, and listen to French media. You’ll start to notice the subtle ways different words for “face” are used to convey emotion, character, and tone.

And if you’re looking for more vocabulary related to the face and its expressions, the WordReference entry for visage is a fantastic place to start exploring compound nouns and common phrases.

I hope this article was a helpful guide. Let’s finish with a beautiful quote from French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Ce qui embellit le désert, c'est qu'il cache un puits quelque part. (What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.) Just like a desert, a face’s true beauty often lies in the emotions hidden just beneath the surface.