The surprising meaning of bougie in French

In American English, bougie (pronounced "boo-zhee") is slang for someone or something fancy, pretentious, or trying to look wealthier than it is. It's short for bourgeois, a French word. But here's the twist: in actual French, une bougie means a candle. Ask a French friend if your latte is bougie and they'll picture wax and a wick.

Below: how the same word ended up meaning such different things, the difference between “bougie” and “boujee”, and the words French people actually use for what Americans call bougie.

Boujee vs bougie: How do you spell bougie?

In English, both spellings are used, and they've grown slightly different flavors. “Bougie” (boo-zhee) leans negative: someone acting fancier or wealthier than they really are. “Boujee” (boo-jee), popularized by hip-hop (think Migos' “Bad and Boujee”), often carries pride instead of mockery: someone self-made who enjoys a well-earned luxurious lifestyle. Dictionaries like Merriam-Webster list “boujee” as a variant spelling of “bougie”. In French, none of this applies: bougie is the only spelling, and it just means candle.

What does bougie mean?

In mainstream American English, the word bougie - sometimes spelled boujee or boujie - is slang for a middle-class person who acts or wants to seem wealthier than they are.

In French, une bougie is a candle or, more rarely, a spark plug.  

Why is there confusion between the two words?

To understand why the word bougie has such wildly different meanings in English and French, you have to understand where each word comes from.

In English, “bougie” began as a shortened term of the word bourgeois. Yes, another French word is at the root of this term! Bourgeois in French used to mean middle-class. Over time, especially with the rise of workers’ rights movements, it’s become a derogatory term that signifies everything from materialism to mundanity, to an oppressive social class. This article gives a detailed explanation of the evolution of the term “bourgeois”.  

Bourgeois has more or less the same context in contemporary French, but it’s never been shortened to bougie. One very good reason is that bougie is already associated with something very different in French. Since around the 14th century, it’s meant “candle”.

The French word comes from Bougie, the old French name for the Algerian city of Béjaïa (Bgayet in Kabyle), which supplied much of the beeswax used to make candles. Historically, une chandelle, another French word for candle, designated tallow candles specifically. Today, in mainstream French, either term can refer to a candle, though bougie is the everyday choice.

How do you say “bougie” in French?

Now that we’ve cleared up the confusion, you may be wondering how to say bougie - the English-language version of the word - in French.

Unfortunately, I can’t give you a simple answer. While there are some terms that capture certain aspects of the word,there is no exact equivalent of bougie in French.

I think this may come down to culture.

American culture, where the term “bougie” is most used, has a tendency to mock or ridicule things like people sounding too intelligent or people who don’t have a lot of money opting for expensive brands and artisanal products.

In France, on the other hand, intelligence, quality products, and the like, reign supreme, even seem de rigueur - at least in mainstream culture.

Take this (admittedly somewhat tongue-in-cheek) list of things that are considered bougie. The list includes things like artisanal and organic products, caring about the environment, and going to art openings. These things are just a part of daily life for many people in France and aren’t judged by most.

For instance, you’ll find that many middle class French women opt for fewer items of clothing, choosing to invest in expensive pieces, rather than “fast fashion” that would more reasonably fit their budget. Wine is carefully chosen when entertaining friends and la nourriture bio (organic food) is inherently considered preferable to standard supermarket fare (even if not everyone purchases or eats organic food).

So you could say that what Americans call “bougie” is a way of life for many French people and so widespread and relatively accessible that it’s not really a source of mockery here!

On the other hand, when a person dresses or does things in an overly flashy or showy manner, the French will mock that, which is why so many of the words that could work as a French translation of “bougie” tend to address that extremity, rather than describing a “basic” person trying to look wealthy.

Of course, this is just a thought, and of course not all middle-class French people would qualify as bougie. But it bears considering.

Another issue, brought up in a fascinating article in USA Today, is that the term “bougie” can mean different things to different groups. Author Sophia Tulp points out that it’s often used in Black culture - including hip-hop songs like Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” - to describe an upwardly mobile person of color. So “bougie” in this sense of the word may have pride attached to it, rather than mockery.  

French words for “bougie”

With all of this in mind, here are a few very rough equivalents to the mainstream definition of “bougie” in French:

Negative French words for “bougie”

un/une bobo - a hipster. Bobo is a shortened form of the term bourgeois bohème (bourgeois bohemian) - that is, someone who looks the part of a starving artist but has at least some money. This word is the rough equivalent of “hipster” in French, although the word “hipster” itself is often used. But it could be used to describe a bougie person, since the two categories often overlap.  Note that _bobo _can also be a childish term for “bruise” (a boo-boo), so if you come across it, be sure you understand the context!

un frimeur/une frimeuse - a show-off, a bit snobby or stuffy

un parvenu/une parvenue - a social climber, nouveau riche

un poseur/une poseuse  - a poseur: a fake, insincere person pretending to be something they’re not

Positive French words for “bougie”

Here are some words you can use if you’re impressed by someone’s bougie taste and style.

chic - chic, classy

élégant(e) - elegant, classy

(la) classe/avoir de la classe - classy/to be classy. Ex: Son appartement est très classe, sans doute parce qu’il a de la classe. (His apartment is very classy, no doubt because he himself is classy.)

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Again, none of these words precisely capture the denotation and connotation(s) of “bougie” in English. So the best solution may be to avoid trying to use a single word in French. Instead, you might say something like: Elle achète des produits de luxe comme si elle était riche. (She buys luxury products as if she were rich.)

Even a description like this is a bit charged, since the French find it rude to talk about money and personal wealth - which may be another reason why there’s no exact French translation of “bougie”.

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Is bougie an insult? What it means in Gen Z slang

It depends on delivery. Among younger speakers, calling a $9 iced latte “bougie” is usually a joke or even a compliment about taste. Said about a person with an eye-roll, it means pretentious. A rough rule of thumb: things are bougie in a fun way, people are bougie in a snobby way. Context and tone decide.

The other “bougie”: candles, spark plugs, and medicine

One more reason this word confuses people: bougie has technical meanings too. In French, une bougie is also a spark plug (bougie d'allumage). And in English-language medicine, a bougie is a thin, flexible instrument used to guide breathing tubes or dilate passages, a meaning that came from the candle's shape. If you searched “bougie” looking for the medical tool, that's the connection.

What are your thoughts about the English word “bougie”? Why do you think there’s no exact French equivalent?

And if you'd rather say bougie, bobo, and chic the way the French do, our free French pronunciation practice tool scores how close you sound. Copycat Cafe teaches French through real conversations you copy out loud. Try it free for 7 days.