Published December 5, 2023 · Updated October 4, 2025 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Chiant — Meaning and Pronunciation
The French adjective chiant means “annoying,” “irritating,” “a pain in the neck,” or even “boring.” It comes from the verb chier (to defecate) and has two forms: chiant (masculine) and chiante (feminine).
The pronunciation of chiant(e) is /ʃjɑ̃ • ʃjɑ̃t/ roughly “sheean” and “sheeant”.
Example Sentences
Oh là là, c’est chiant !
Oh, what a pain!
Il m’énerve ce mec. Il est trop chiant !
That guy is bothering me. He’s really annoying!
J’en ai marre de ces voisins : ils sont vraiment chiants !
I’m sick of these neighbors. They’re really a pain in the neck!
Il est chiant ce chien. Il n’arrête pas d’aboyer.
That dog is annoying. He won’t stop barking.
Ce film est vraiment chiant. Tu ne vas pas l’aimer.
This movie is very boring. You’re not going to like it.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- casse-pieds — annoying, a nuisance (polite alternative)
- pénible — irritating, bothersome, tiresome
- saoulant / soulant — exhausting, annoying (slang)
- relou — annoying (verlan for lourd)
- en avoir marre — to be fed up / sick of something
- en avoir ras le bol — to be totally fed up / “had it up to here”
👉 See related expression: Fait chier (that sucks, what a pain) »
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