French sneaks into Traditional Chinese through bakeries, fashion houses, ballet studios, and wine lists. This guide rounds up high-yield French loanwords and famous names the way you’ll actually meet them in Taiwan: on menus, signs, product labels, and small talk. You’ll see Traditional Chinese first, pinyin right after, and a clear English gloss, plus natural example lines you can lift into real life.
How French Becomes Chinese: Three Common Paths
音譯 yīn yì — yīn yì — phonetic borrowing (copy the sound)
例：馬卡龍 mǎ kǎ lóng — macaron
意譯 yì yì — yì yì — semantic borrowing (translate the meaning)
例：高級訂製服 gāo jí dìng zhì fú — haute couture (literally “high-level custom clothing”)
混合譯 hùn hé yì — hùn hé yì — hybrid (sound + meaning)
例：香檳 xiāng bīn — Champagne (keeps the place name’s feel, adds “fragrant”)
Quick tip: Loanwords in food often use 音譯（馬卡龍、可頌）, while fashion/media prefer 意譯（高訂、香水 “perfume”）.
Bakery & Dessert All-Stars
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 可頌 | kě sòng | croissant |
| 可麗餅 | kě lì bǐng | crêpe |
| 馬卡龍 | mǎ kǎ lóng | macaron |
| 舒芙蕾 | shū fú lěi | soufflé |
| 千層派／拿破崙（蛋糕） | qiān céng pài / ná pò lún (dàn gāo) | mille-feuille / Napoleon |
| 可麗露 | kě lì lù | canelé |
| 焦糖布蕾 | jiāo táng bù lěi | crème brûlée |
| 法棍 | fǎ gùn | baguette |
| 慕斯 | mù sī | mousse |
| 瑪德蓮 | mǎ dé lián | madeleine |
Example
想吃一個可頌和一杯拿鐵，外帶。
xiǎng chī yí ge kě sòng hé yì bēi ná tiě, wài dài
I’d like a croissant and a latte to go.
Menu trap: “拿破崙” in bakeries usually means a layered mille-feuille-style pastry, not the emperor (though he does get name-checked).
Drinks & Dining
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 香檳 | xiāng bīn | Champagne |
| 白蘭地 | bái lán dì | brandy (from “brandy,” but French-heavy context) |
| 馬賽魚湯 | mǎ sài yú tāng | bouillabaisse (Marseille fish stew) |
| 鵝肝醬 | é gān jiàng | foie gras |
| 藍帶豬排／雞排 | lán dài zhū pái / jī pái | cordon bleu pork/chicken cutlet |
Example
我們點一瓶香檳，慶祝今天的好消息。
wǒ men diǎn yì píng xiāng bīn, qìng zhù jīn tiān de hǎo xiāo xī
Let’s order a bottle of Champagne to celebrate the good news.
Fashion, Beauty & Luxury
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 高級訂製服（高訂） | gāo jí dìng zhì fú (gāo dìng) | haute couture |
| 香水 | xiāng shuǐ | perfume |
| 時裝週（巴黎時裝週） | shí zhuāng zhōu (Bā Lí shí zhuāng zhōu) | fashion week (Paris Fashion Week) |
| 香奈兒 | xiāng nài ěr | Chanel |
| 迪奧 | dí ào | Dior |
| 路易威登 | lù yì wēi dēng | Louis Vuitton |
| 愛馬仕 | ài mǎ shì | Hermès |
| 賽琳 | sài lín | Celine |
| 朗萬 | lǎng wàn | Lanvin |
| 亞歷山大·麥昆（非法牌但常出現） | yà lì shān dà · mài kūn | Alexander McQueen (not French but shows up nearby in conversations) |
Example
這款香水前調是柑橘，後調比較木質。
zhè kuǎn xiāng shuǐ qián diào shì gān jú, hòu diào bǐ jiào mù zhí
This perfume opens citrusy and dries down woody.
Art, Dance & Culture
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 芭蕾 | bā léi | ballet |
| 普利耶（芭蕾動作） | pǔ lì yé | plié |
| 雷勒韋 | léi lè wěi | relevé |
| 香頌 | xiāng sòng | chanson (French-style song) |
| 印象派 | yìn xiàng pài | Impressionism |
| 超現實主義 | chāo xiàn shí zhǔ yì | Surrealism |
Example
她學芭蕾很多年，基本動作像普利耶非常穩。
tā xué bāléi hěn duō nián, jī běn dòng zuò xiàng pǔ lì yé fēi cháng wěn
She’s done years of ballet—foundations like plié are rock-solid.
Places, People & Famous Titles
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 巴黎 | Bā Lí | Paris |
| 香榭麗舍大道 | xiāng xiè lì shě dà dào | Champs-Élysées |
| 盧浮宮 | lú fú gōng | the Louvre |
| 凱旋門 | kǎi xuán mén | Arc de Triomphe |
| 馬賽 | mǎ sài | Marseille |
| 普羅旺斯 | pǔ luó wàng sī | Provence |
| 拿破崙 | ná pò lún | Napoleon |
| 亞歷山大·杜馬 | yà lì shān dà · dù mǎ | Alexandre Dumas |
| 悲慘世界 | bēi cǎn shì jiè | Les Misérables |
| 小王子 | xiǎo wáng zǐ | The Little Prince |
Example
我最想去香榭麗舍大道逛一逛，再去盧浮宮看展。
wǒ zuì xiǎng qù xiāng xiè lì shě dà dào guàng yí guàng, zài qù lú fú gōng kàn zhǎn
I want to stroll the Champs-Élysées and then see an exhibit at the Louvre.
Tech, Media & Everyday Bits (French Roots, Chinese Everyday)
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 簽名檔（源自法語 signature 文化） | qiān míng dǎng | email signature (French word “signature,” but Chinese phrase is native) |
| 沙龍（攝影／髮廊語境） | shā lóng | salon (photo/art event; also hair salon) |
| 紀實（紀錄片語境，法語影響大） | jì shí | documentary style (French cinéma vérité influence) |
Example
這週末有一個攝影沙龍，主題是紀實風格。
zhè zhōu mò yǒu yí ge shè yǐng shā lóng, zhǔ tí shì jì shí fēng gé
There’s a photography salon this weekend—documentary style.
Quick Ordering & Shopping Lines
請問可頌是奶油的還是巧克力的
qǐng wèn kě sòng shì nǎi yóu de hái shì qiǎo kè lì de
Is the croissant butter or chocolate
這款香水有小容量的試用裝嗎
zhè kuǎn xiāng shuǐ yǒu xiǎo róng liàng de shì yòng zhuāng ma
Do you have a small tester of this perfume
焦糖布蕾今天有嗎，我想外帶一份
jiāo táng bù lěi jīn tiān yǒu ma, wǒ xiǎng wài dài yí fèn
Do you have crème brûlée today? I’d like one to go.
Pronunciation Hacks (French → Chinese)
鼻音 tips: “bon, on, an” flavors end up as 翁 wēng／昂 áng-like sounds in Chinese transcriptions（可頌 kě sòng).
重音別太用力: Chinese syllables are tone-based, not stress-based; keep each syllable clean（馬-卡-龍 mǎ-kǎ-lóng).
名牌讀法聽店員: Brand names vary slightly—mirror staff pronunciation for instant native vibes（愛馬仕 Àimǎshì ≈ “air-mez,” but say the Chinese).
False Friends & Menu Traps To Avoid
馬卡龍 mǎ kǎ lóng (macaron) ≠ 馬卡龍冰淇淋（常見創意商品，口感不同）
可頌 kě sòng (croissant) 有時也叫 牛角麵包 niú jiǎo miàn bāo — both are croissant; texture varies by shop.
“雪魚” xuě yú on menus may not be real cod 鱈魚 xuě yú; ask when in doubt（這是鱈魚嗎 zhè shì xuě yú ma).
Mini Dialogues
A：這家可頌有名嗎
A: zhè jiā kě sòng yǒu míng ma
Is this place known for croissants
B：很酥，早上常賣完。
B: hěn sū, zǎo shàng cháng mài wán
Super flaky—they sell out by morning.
A：想找一款花香調的香水，有推薦嗎
A: xiǎng zhǎo yì kuǎn huā xiāng diào de xiāng shuǐ, yǒu tuī jiàn ma
I’m looking for a floral perfume—any recommendations
B：可以先試這兩款，小容量比較好攜帶。
B: kě yǐ xiān shì zhè liǎng kuǎn, xiǎo róng liàng bǐ jiào hǎo xiē dài
Try these two first; the small size travels better.
Quick Reference (Copy-Friendly)
| Need | Phrase (Trad + Pinyin) |
| croissant | 可頌 kě sòng |
| crêpe | 可麗餅 kě lì bǐng |
| macaron | 馬卡龍 mǎ kǎ lóng |
| soufflé | 舒芙蕾 shū fú lěi |
| crème brûlée | 焦糖布蕾 jiāo táng bù lěi |
| baguette | 法棍 fǎ gùn |
| Champagne | 香檳 xiāng bīn |
| perfume | 香水 xiāng shuǐ |
| haute couture | 高級訂製服 gāo jí dìng zhì fú |
| ballet | 芭蕾 bā léi |
| Champs-Élysées | 香榭麗舍大道 xiāng xiè lì shě dà dào |
| the Louvre | 盧浮宮 lú fú gōng |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
在你家附近的麵包店，點三樣法式點心（可頌／可麗餅／可麗露），各說一次全名與數量。
寫兩句香水小對話：問試用裝、描述前調／後調。
挑一個巴黎景點名（香榭麗舍、盧浮宮），用中文說你想去做什麼。
錄一段 20 秒語音，流暢念出 10 個外來語（馬卡龍、可頌、香檳、香水…）。
Yak-Style Closing Spark
French in Chinese is like butter in pastry: once you notice it, you hear it everywhere. Learn the tasty dozen—可頌、馬卡龍、香檳、香水、芭蕾—and your Traditional Chinese strolls past the bakery, into a gallery, and straight down 香榭麗舍大道 sounding smooth, stylish, and perfectly flaky in all the right places.