Planning a trip to Paris, Montreal, or another French-speaking destination? One of the first words you might need is the one for 'map'. The most common term you'll encounter is carte, but French has several other words depending on the type of map you're talking about. Whether you're looking at a city layout, a road atlas, or a geographical chart, knowing the right word is key to not getting lost in translation (or on the streets!). Let's explore the different ways to say 'map' in French so you can navigate your next adventure with confidence!

The standard 'map' – une carte

The most common and direct translation for 'map' in French is une carte. This is your go-to word for any geographical representation.

Carte is a feminine noun, so you will always see it preceded by feminine articles like une (a) or la (the). For example, la carte de France (the map of France).

Here's where it gets interesting for learners. While une carte means 'map', the word carte itself is extremely versatile and has many other common meanings. This is a frequent point of confusion, but it's easy to master with context.

Besides a geographical map, une carte can also refer to:

A menu: In a restaurant, la carte is the menu. Je peux voir la carte, s'il vous plaît ? (Can I see the menu, please?).
A card (of any kind): This is a broad category. It includes une carte de crédit (credit card), une carte d'identité (ID card), une carte postale (postcard), and une carte à jouer (playing card).
A ticket or pass: Such as une carte d'embarquement (a boarding pass).

Don't worry about mixing these up. The meaning of carte is almost always clarified by the context. If you're in a tourist office, asking for une carte will get you a map of the city. If you're at a bank, it will refer to your bank card. French speakers also frequently add a clarifying word, like carte routière (road map) or carte bancaire (bank card), to avoid ambiguity.

💡 * J'ai acheté une carte de la ville pour ne pas me perdre.

Le serveur nous a donné la carte dès que nous nous sommes assis.

Montre-moi sur la carte où se trouve l'Italie.

J'ai oublié le code de ma carte de crédit.

Il m'a envoyé une jolie carte postale de ses vacances.

The 'road map' – une carte routière

The 'road map' – une carte routière

Une carte routière is the direct French translation for a “road map.” It specifically refers to a map, either physical or digital, that displays roads, highways, and other transportation routes designed for navigation by vehicle.

The term is a combination of two words: carte, meaning “map,” and routière, an adjective derived from route, meaning “road.” Therefore, it literally means a “road map” or “map of the roads.”

You would use une carte routière when planning a trip by car. It is distinct from un plan de ville (a city map, often for walking) or une carte topographique (a topographic map). While GPS systems (un GPS) have largely replaced physical maps, the term is still widely understood and used, especially when referring to a paper map or the map function in a navigation app.

Be careful when translating the figurative English term “roadmap” (like a project plan). While carte routière could be understood through context, the more common and precise French equivalent for a strategic plan or itinerary is une feuille de route.

💡 * Avant les smartphones, on dépliait une grande carte routière sur le capot de la voiture.

Pour notre voyage en Italie, j'ai acheté une carte routière détaillée de la Toscane.

Le GPS est en panne, heureusement que nous avons une vieille carte routière dans la boîte à gants.

Tu peux trouver notre itinéraire sur la carte routière que je t'ai envoyée.

The 'city map' or 'street plan' – un plan (de ville)

When navigating a new city in France, one of the most useful words you can know is un plan. This is the primary term for a 'city map' or 'street plan'.

The noun un plan refers to a detailed map or layout of a specific, limited area. While it can also mean 'a plan' or 'scheme' in other contexts (like in English), its most common travel-related meaning is 'map'.

To be perfectly clear, you can use the full phrase un plan de ville, which translates directly to 'a map of the city'. This is a common and easily understood way to ask for a street map.

It is crucial to remember that plan is a masculine noun. Therefore, you always use masculine articles, such as un plan (a map) or le plan (the map).

So what's the difference between un plan and une carte? The key is scale. Use un plan for detailed maps of small areas like a city, a metro system (un plan de métro), or a building. Use une carte for larger geographical areas like a country (une carte de France), a region, or the world.

💡 * Pourriez-vous me donner un plan de la ville, s'il vous plaît ? (Could you give me a city map, please?)

J'ai besoin de regarder le plan du métro pour trouver la bonne station. (I need to look at the metro map to find the right station.)

Regarde sur le plan, notre hôtel est juste ici. (Look at the map, our hotel is right here.)

Le plan indique tous les monuments historiques du centre-ville. (The map shows all the historical monuments in the city center.)

The 'world map' – une mappemonde

The 'world map' – une mappemonde

Une mappemonde is the specific French term for a world map—a single, flat representation of the entire globe. Unlike the general word une carte (a map), une mappemonde exclusively refers to a map showing all the continents and oceans together.

The word is a compound of mappe (an old term for map) and monde (world). As the article une suggests, mappemonde is always a feminine noun.

This term is most commonly used in educational or decorative contexts, such as a large map on a classroom wall or a poster in an office. It is distinct from un globe, which refers to a three-dimensional spherical model of the Earth.

💡 * J'ai une grande mappemonde accrochée au-dessus de mon bureau. (I have a large world map hanging above my desk.)

Le professeur a utilisé une mappemonde pour nous montrer les différents fuseaux horaires. (The teacher used a world map to show us the different time zones.)

Pour notre cours de géographie, il faut acheter une mappemonde. (For our geography class, we need to buy a world map.)

Sur cette vieille mappemonde, certains pays n'existent plus. (On this old world map, some countries no longer exist.)

The 'geographical map' – une carte géographique

The 'geographical map' – une carte géographique

Une carte géographique is the specific French term for a geographical map. It refers to a visual representation of a physical area, detailing features like countries, cities, rivers, and mountains.

The word carte in French is very versatile and can mean 'card' (like une carte de crédit) or 'menu' (une carte de restaurant). Adding the adjective géographique is crucial to specify you are talking about a map of a place and avoid confusion.

This term is used in contexts like geography class, travel planning, or when using an atlas. While you can sometimes just say une carte if the context is obvious (e.g., you're in a car with a map open), une carte géographique is the full, correct term.

Remember that carte is a feminine noun. Therefore, you must always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, such as une carte géographique or la carte géographique.

💡 * Pour notre cours d'histoire, nous devons étudier cette vieille carte géographique de l'Europe. (For our history class, we have to study this old geographical map of Europe.)

J'ai acheté une carte géographique détaillée des Alpes pour notre randonnée. (I bought a detailed geographical map of the Alps for our hike.)

Peux-tu me montrer le chemin sur la carte géographique, s'il te plaît ? (Can you show me the way on the geographical map, please?)

Le mur de son bureau est couvert par une immense carte géographique du monde. (The wall of his office is covered by a huge geographical map of the world.)

The 'weather map' – une carte météorologique

The direct and formal French translation for 'weather map' is une carte météorologique. The adjective météorologique means 'meteorological' or 'weather-related'. This term is grammatically correct and would be used in scientific or highly formal contexts, such as in a meteorology textbook.

However, in daily life, you will almost always hear and use a simpler, more common term: la carte météo. This is the phrase used on television news, in newspapers, and in casual conversation when talking about the weather forecast.

The word météo is a common abbreviation for météorologie (meteorology), but it functions as the everyday word for 'weather forecast'. So, la carte météo literally translates to 'the weather forecast map', which is precisely what it is.

To summarize, while une carte météorologique is the full, technical term, la carte météo is the phrase you should learn and use. It's the natural and standard way to refer to a weather map in modern French.

💡 * J'ai regardé la carte météo pour savoir comment m'habiller demain.

Le présentateur à la télé a montré la carte météo de la France.

La carte météo annonce de la neige dans les Alpes.

Une carte météorologique est un outil essentiel pour les scientifiques.

The 'subway/metro map' – un plan de métro

To talk about a subway or metro map in French, the essential phrase to know is un plan de métro. This is the most common and widely understood term.

Let's break it down: plan in this context means 'map' (specifically for a layout or network), and métro is the French word for 'subway' or 'metro'. So, it literally translates to 'a map of the metro'.

The noun plan is masculine, so you must always use masculine articles with it, such as un (a/an) or le (the). For example, you would say le plan de métro to refer to 'the metro map'.

💡 * Excusez-moi, où puis-je trouver un plan de métro ? (Excuse me, where can I find a metro map?)

J'ai regardé le plan de métro pour trouver la station la plus proche. (I looked at the metro map to find the nearest station.)

Le plan de métro parisien est très détaillé. (The Paris metro map is very detailed.)

Garde ce plan de métro, il pourrait être utile. (Keep this metro map, it could be useful.)

1. The 'atlas' or 'book of maps' – un atlas

The French word for an 'atlas' or a 'book of maps' is un atlas. This is a direct cognate, making it one of the easiest vocabulary words to remember for English speakers.

Just like in English, un atlas refers to a collection of maps bound together in a book. It's important to note that the word is masculine in French, so you will always use the articles un or le.

The pronunciation is nearly identical to English. A key grammatical point is that the plural form is also atlas. For example, you would say un atlas (one atlas) and des atlas (some atlases). The final 's' is silent in both singular and plural forms.

The word originates from Atlas, the Titan from Greek mythology who was condemned to hold up the celestial heavens. This shared etymology highlights the Greco-Roman roots present in both French and English.

💡 * J'ai utilisé un atlas pour planifier notre voyage en Europe. (I used an atlas to plan our trip to Europe.)

Peux-tu me montrer le Japon sur l'atlas ? (Can you show me Japan on the atlas?)

Cet atlas historique montre les frontières des anciens empires. (This historical atlas shows the borders of ancient empires.)

La bibliothèque possède une collection impressionnante d'atlas anciens. (The library has an impressive collection of old atlases.)

1. The 'Nautical Chart' – Une Carte Marine

The direct French translation for 'nautical chart' is une carte marine. This phrase is composed of two words: carte, meaning 'map' or 'chart', and marine, the feminine adjective for 'marine' or 'related to the sea'.

Une carte marine is a specialized map used for navigation on water. It provides critical information for sailors, such as water depths (soundings), coastlines, navigational hazards (like rocks or wrecks), and aids to navigation (like lighthouses and buoys).

The word carte is a feminine noun in French. Therefore, you must always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, such as une carte marine (a nautical chart) or la carte marine (the nautical chart).

It's important not to confuse une carte marine with other types of maps. For instance, a road map is une carte routière, and a general geographical map is une carte géographique. The term marine specifically indicates its use for sea travel.

💡 * Le capitaine consulte la carte marine pour planifier sa route. (The captain consults the nautical chart to plan his route.)

Pour naviguer près des côtes, une carte marine détaillée est indispensable. (To navigate near the coast, a detailed nautical chart is essential.)

Nous avons acheté une nouvelle carte marine pour la Méditerranée. (We bought a new nautical chart for the Mediterranean.)

Les informations sur cette carte marine ne sont plus à jour. (The information on this nautical chart is no longer up to date.)

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

Our guide has covered the most common ways to say 'map' in French, focusing on the key distinction between carte and plan. But French, like any language, has more specialized vocabulary, from historical terms for charts to specific words for digital or topographical maps.

To discover more nuanced terms, try searching for specific types of maps. For example, you could look up 'how to say road map in French' (carte routière) or 'subway map' (plan de métro). Context is everything!

Pay attention when you're interacting with French media or traveling. Notice which word is used on a hiking trail sign, in a museum exhibit, or on a GPS application. This real-world exposure is the best way to solidify your understanding.

If you're curious about related words like 'atlas,' 'chart,' or 'blueprint,' a great next step is to explore the WordReference or Larousse entries for carte and plan. You'll find a wealth of examples and related expressions.

I hope this article helps you navigate your French learning journey with confidence. We'll end with a quote from French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who knew a thing or two about maps and exploration: Pour ce qui est de l'avenir, il ne s'agit pas de le prévoir, mais de le rendre possible. (As for the future, it is not a matter of predicting it, but of making it possible.)

'9 ways to say "map" in French'