Meaning & use
bisou
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A light kiss, especially on the cheek, used as a friendly greeting or sign of affection.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a bisou' or 'two bisous'.
Patterns
- give someone a bisou
- a bisou on the cheek
- exchange bisous
She greeted her French friend with a quick bisou on each cheek.
In France, it's common to give a bisou when you meet someone you know.
They exchanged bisous before saying goodbye.
interjectioninformal
Used informally at the end of a message to mean 'kiss' or 'lots of love'.
Grammar: Used as a sign-off, like 'xoxo' in English.
Patterns
- Bisou!
- Bisous!
See you tomorrow! Bisou!
Thanks for your help. Bisous!
Word forms
| plural | bisous |
|---|
Common combinations
- give a bisou
- He gave her a bisou on the cheek.
- a bisou on the cheek
- She planted a bisou on each cheek.
- exchange bisous
- They exchanged bisous when they met.
- send a bisou
- She sent a bisou in her text message.
- French bisou
- The French bisou is a common greeting among friends.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: bisou or bison?
bisou vs bison
Bison is a large animal, while bisou is a kiss. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
In which situation would you most likely use the word 'bisou'?
Choose one answer.
'Bisou' is an informal French word for a light kiss, often on the cheek, used among friends. The other options describe formal or different cultural greetings where 'bisou' would not be used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bisou”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.