"Nuit" is the most common and straightforward way to say "night" in French. But just like in English, there are many beautiful and useful expressions to describe the evening hours or to wish someone a good night.

As you expand your French vocabulary, knowing these variations will help you sound more natural and understand different contexts.

Let's explore 9 different ways to talk about "night" in French!

The standard 'night' – nuit

The standard word for 'night' in French is nuit.

Nuit is the most common and direct translation for 'night' in French, referring to the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

Unlike many French nouns, nuit is straightforward: it's always feminine. So you'll always use feminine articles and adjectives with it. The singular form is nuit, and the plural is nuits.

Nuit can be used in almost any context, from formal literature to casual conversation, making it a highly versatile word for describing the nocturnal period.

Beyond its literal meaning, nuit is integral to many common French expressions, often conveying duration, time, or a greeting.

You'll frequently encounter nuit in phrases like bonne nuit (good night), pendant la nuit (during the night), or toute la nuit (all night long). It can also specify a particular night, e.g., la nuit dernière (last night) or cette nuit (tonight/this coming night).

For instance, to say 'I slept well last night,' you would say J'ai bien dormi la nuit dernière. If you're planning something for the evening, you might say On se voit cette nuit (We'll see each other tonight).

While nuit generally means 'night,' be aware that 'tonight' can be cette nuit (often referring to the upcoming night or late evening) or ce soir (this evening, usually earlier in the night). The context often clarifies.

Fortunately, discerning the exact meaning of nuit in various expressions is usually quite clear from the surrounding context. Pay attention to prepositions and accompanying verbs.

The 'nuit' in France is often associated with social life, dining, and cultural events. Phrases like la vie nocturne (nightlife) highlight its importance in French culture, especially in cities.

💡 * Bonne nuit! (Good night!)

J'ai travaillé toute la nuit. (I worked all night.)

La nuit tombe vite en hiver. (Night falls quickly in winter.)

Nous avons passé une belle nuit étoilée. (We spent a beautiful starry night.)

Il fait froid la nuit. (It's cold at night.)

The 'evening' (often extending into early night) – soir

The French word for 'evening' is soir (pronounced swahr).

While it directly translates to 'evening', soir often extends into what English speakers might consider 'early night' or even 'nighttime' activities, especially after dinner.

It's distinct from nuit (night), which typically refers to the deeper, darker hours of sleep or late night. Soir is more about the period of social activity, relaxation, or work after the workday ends and before going to bed.

You'll often hear it in phrases like bonsoir (good evening), ce soir (this evening/tonight), or hier soir (last night/yesterday evening).

Soir is also used when referring to evening events or gatherings, such as une soirée (an evening party or event), which derives from soir.

Think of soir as the period when the sun has set, dinner is typically eaten, and people are engaged in activities before retiring for the night.

💡 *Bonsoir, comment ça va ? (Good evening, how are you?)
*On va au cinéma ce soir. (We're going to the cinema tonight.)
*J'ai mangé au restaurant hier soir. (I ate at the restaurant last night.)
*La soirée était très agréable. (The evening/party was very pleasant.)
*Elle travaille tard le soir. (She works late in the evening.)

The 'midnight' – minuit

In French, the word for 'midnight' is minuit.

Minuit is a masculine noun that refers to 12:00 AM, the middle of the night.

To say 'at midnight,' you'll almost always use the preposition à: à minuit.

You might hear common phrases like il est minuit (it's midnight) or avant minuit (before midnight).

It's important not to confuse minuit with midi, which means 'noon' or 'midday'.

When using the 24-hour clock, minuit corresponds to 0h00 (zero hours) or 24h00 (twenty-four hours), though 0h00 is more commonly used to mark the start of a new day.

💡 * Le bal masqué commence à minuit. (The masked ball starts at midnight.)

Il est minuit, je dois aller me coucher. (It's midnight, I have to go to bed.)

Nous avons fêtons le Nouvel An jusqu'à minuit. (We celebrate New Year's Eve until midnight.)

Le magasin ferme ses portes à minuit. (The store closes its doors at midnight.)

Cendrillon devait rentrer avant minuit. (Cinderella had to be home before midnight.)

The 'overnight stay' or 'night's lodging' – nuitée

Nuitée refers to an "overnight stay" or "night's lodging" in French, often used in the context of accommodation.

This term is commonly found in tourism and hospitality, particularly when booking hotels, guesthouses, or other forms of accommodation, signifying a single night's duration.

As a feminine noun, nuitée is always preceded by a feminine article (e.g., une nuitée, la nuitée) and can be used in plural form (des nuitées) for multiple nights.

While nuit simply means "night", nuitée specifically emphasizes the act or duration of staying for a night, especially for payment or booking purposes.

💡 * Combien coûte une nuitée dans cet hôtel ? (How much does an overnight stay cost in this hotel?)

Nous avons réservé trois nuitées. (We booked three overnight stays.)

La nuitée inclut le petit-déjeuner. (The overnight stay includes breakfast.)

Il cherche une nuitée pas chère. (He's looking for a cheap overnight stay.)

The 'twilight' or 'dusk' (the start of night) – crépuscule

Crépuscule refers to the period of fading light between sunset and complete darkness, marking the beginning of the night.

It evokes a specific, often poetic or melancholic atmosphere, distinct from simply 'soir' (evening) which can be longer and less defined.

This term is frequently used to describe natural phenomena, landscapes, or to set a mood in literature and art.

As a masculine noun, it's often accompanied by adjectives like le crépuscule du soir (evening twilight) or used in phrases like à la tombée du crépuscule (at nightfall/dusk).

Beyond its literal meaning, crépuscule can also be used figuratively to denote the decline or end of something, like 'le crépuscule d'une ère' (the twilight of an era).

💡 * Au crépuscule, le ciel prend des couleurs magnifiques.

Ils aiment se promener le long de la plage au crépuscule.

Le crépuscule tombait doucement sur la ville endormie.

C'est l'heure où les chauves-souris sortent, au crépuscule.

Nous avons observé le crépuscule depuis la colline.

The 'darkness' (a characteristic of night) – obscurité

In French, the primary and most common word for 'darkness' is obscurité. It's a feminine noun and directly translates to 'darkness' or 'obscurity' in English.

Obscurité is used to describe the absence of light, whether it's the natural darkness of night, the dimness of a room, or the complete lack of visibility. It's the characteristic state when light sources are absent or insufficient.

Beyond its literal meaning, obscurité can also be used metaphorically to refer to a state of ignorance, lack of clarity, or even moral ambiguity. For instance, 'the darkness of the soul' or 'plunged into obscurity' (referring to being forgotten).

While similar, obscurité differs slightly from nuit (night) which refers to the period of time, and ténèbres (darkness/gloom), which often carries a stronger, more profound, or even biblical connotation of deep, oppressive darkness. Obscurité is the most neutral and widely applicable term for 'darkness'.

You'll frequently encounter phrases like 'dans l'obscurité' (in the darkness) or 'l'obscurité de la nuit' (the darkness of the night) when describing conditions without light.

💡 *L'obscurité de la pièce rendait la lecture difficile. (The darkness of the room made reading difficult.)
*Nous avons marché dans l'obscurité totale après la panne de courant. (We walked in total darkness after the power outage.)
*Il préfère travailler dans l'obscurité du matin. (He prefers to work in the darkness of the morning.)
*Son nom est tombé dans l'obscurité après le scandale. (His name fell into obscurity after the scandal.)
*La lumière perça l'obscurité. (The light pierced the darkness.)

The 'nightfall' or 'falling night' – la nuit tombante

The phrase la nuit tombante literally translates to “the falling night” or “the night falling,” and it refers to the specific moment when day transitions into night.

It describes the period of twilight or dusk, just before complete darkness sets in, emphasizing the act of night arriving rather than night itself. It evokes a sense of gradual change and atmosphere, often used in literature or descriptive contexts.

As a feminine noun phrase, it always uses the definite article la and remains consistent in its form. Nuit is feminine, and tombante is the present participle of tomber (to fall), acting as an adjective here, meaning 'falling' or 'setting'.

💡 * Nous avons commencé notre randonnée à la nuit tombante. (We started our hike at nightfall.)

Les chauves-souris sortent de leurs grottes à la nuit tombante. (Bats emerge from their caves at nightfall.)

L'ambiance du village changeait à la nuit tombante. (The village's atmosphere changed at nightfall.)

Ils se sont rencontrés près du lac à la nuit tombante. (They met near the lake at nightfall.)

The 'deep night' or 'dead of night' – la nuit profonde

The “deep night” or “dead of night” – la nuit profonde

The French phrase la nuit profonde directly translates to “the deep night.” In English, it is best understood as “the dead of night” or “the deepest part of the night,” referring to the very late hours when most people are asleep.

Beyond just indicating a time, la nuit profonde conveys a sense of stillness, profound darkness, and quiet. It's often used in literary contexts or when describing a moment of intense quiet or solitude during the late hours.

While tard dans la nuit also means “late at night,” la nuit profonde emphasizes the depth and intensity of the night, not just its lateness. It suggests a time when the world is truly asleep.

💡 * La ville était silencieuse dans la nuit profonde. (The city was silent in the dead of night.)

Il a travaillé jusqu'à la nuit profonde. (He worked until the deep night.)

Ils ont entendu des bruits étranges dans la nuit profonde. (They heard strange noises in the dead of night.)

Les étoiles brillaient intensément dans la nuit profonde. (The stars shone brightly in the deep night.)

The 'close of day' or 'nightfall' – la tombée de la nuit

In French, to refer to the moment when day turns into night, often described as 'nightfall' or 'dusk,' we use the expression la tombée de la nuit. This beautiful phrase literally translates to 'the falling of the night,' perfectly capturing the transition from daylight to darkness.

Unlike le soir (evening) or la nuit (night), la tombée de la nuit specifically denotes the onset of night. It emphasizes the active process of darkness descending, rather than a fixed period. It's the period of twilight, just before complete darkness, when the last vestiges of daylight disappear.

This phrase is frequently used in literature, poetry, and everyday conversation to evoke a sense of atmosphere, often associated with mystery, calm, or the end of a day's activities. You might hear it when talking about things that happen at or around dusk, like animals becoming active or lights turning on.

The word tombée is the past participle of the verb tomber (to fall), used here as a feminine noun. So, la tombée de la nuit literally means 'the fall of the night.' It's a fixed expression, always used in this form.

💡 * À la tombée de la nuit, les étoiles commencent à apparaître. (At nightfall, the stars begin to appear.)

Nous sommes rentrés à la maison juste avant la tombée de la nuit. (We returned home just before nightfall.)

La forêt devient silencieuse à la tombée de la nuit. (The forest becomes silent at nightfall.)

Les chauves-souris sortent de leurs grottes à la tombée de la nuit. (Bats emerge from their caves at nightfall.)

Il aime se promener sur la plage à la tombée de la nuit. (He likes to walk on the beach at nightfall.)

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

Our list features the most common ways to say 'night' in French, like nuit and soir. However, French, like any rich language, has nuances, slang, and regional expressions for different times of the evening or night. While nuit is the standard, you might encounter other terms depending on the context or location.

To explore further, you can do an online search for 'comment dire nuit en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region, or even 'expressions avec nuit'.

You might find some interesting expressions or synonyms for nuit on these lists. As always, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it yourself.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about the night, its moods, or specific parts of it.

And if you’re looking for more specific expressions involving nuit or related concepts, the WordReference entry for nuit is an excellent place to start!

I hope this article illuminated the various ways to refer to 'night' in French. To conclude, here’s a beautiful thought by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.) While not directly about nuit, it reminds us of the hidden depths and beauty in language, much like the night itself.

9 ways to say "night" in French