The Meaning of Mon Cheri: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what the French term mon cheri means? This guide will provide you with all of the knowledge you need on the French phrase mon cheri, including its definition and translation, synonyms, sentence usage, and more!

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

What does the term mon cheri mean?

According to Dictionary and Word Sense, the term mon cheri is French term of endearment that means “my dear” or “sweetheart.” This term can be used romantically or platonically to refer to a loved one or best friend. French speakers use French terms of endearment just like English speakers do. Mon cheri is the equivalent of calling someone honey, or sweetie in English.  

Mon cheri is the mascule form of the term on endearment, whereas ma cherie is the feminine. People would use ma cherie to refer to a woman lovingly, but mon cheri to refer to a man. 

If you are starting to learn French, you might discover that there are a ton of French words that are used as terms of endearment, just line English. Fluent U provides us with a bunch of these! These terms of endearment can be used platonically or romantically, among female friends or male friends, lovers and romantic partners alike. These are listed below, alongside their translations. Many of these also have diminutive forms that help to make the term sound even cuter.

  • Mon cœur – My heart
  • Mon amour – My love
  • Mon petit ____ – My little ___
  • Ma moitié – My other half
  • Doudou – My blankie or my cuddly thing
  • Ma chérie – My darling
  • Mon trésor – My treasure
  • Mon ange – My angel
  • Mon chou – My cabbage
  • Mon bébé – My baby
  • Mon chaton – My kitten
  • Mon lapin – My rabbit
  • Ma puce – My flea
  • Mon poussin – My chicky
  • Mon loulou – My wolf
  • Mon oisillon – My little bird
  • Mon nounours – My teddy bear
  • Ma biche – My doe
  • Ma caille – my quail
  • Mon coco – My hen
  • Mon caneton – My duckling
  • Ma pole – My chicken
  • Ma crevette  – My shrimp

How can the term mon cheri be used in a sentence?

Mon cheri can be used in a variety of different sentences as a term of endearment, both platonically and romantically. In this example, Lousie is wishing a happy birthday to her boyfriend, Jean-Luc. She has made Jean-Luc breakfast in bed.

Louise: Bonjour, mon chéri! Joyeux anniversaire!

English – Louise: Good morning, my darling! Happy birthday!

Jean-Luc: Merci, mon amour. Cela a l’air incroyable.

English – Jean-Luc: Thank you, my love. This looks amazing.

Louise: Des œufs, du bacon et beaucoup de pain grillé, votre préféré. Aujourd’hui est votre jour, nous pouvons donc faire ce que vous voulez.

English – Louise: Eggs, bacon, and lots of toast, your favorite. Today is your day, so we can do whatever you want. 

Jean-Luc: En ce moment, je ne veux rien de plus que de m’allonger ici avec ma petite poule. Merci pour le petit déjeuner. Tu me fais me sentir si spécial.

English – Jean-Luc: Right now, I want nothing more than to lie here with my little hen. Thank you for the breakfast. You make me feel so special. 

Here, Louise uses the term of endearment mon cheri to refer to her boyfriend Jean-Luc. In this next example, Lenna is talking to her son Lucas.

Lenna: Bienvenue à la maison, mon chéri! Comment était l’école?

English – Lenna: Welcome home, my darling! How was school?

Lucas: C’était bien. La maternelle est la meilleure!

English – Lucas: It was good. Kindergarten is the best!

Lenna: C’est tellement bon à entendre. Tu aimes ton professeur? Tu t’es fait des amis?

English – Lenna: That’s so good to hear. Do you like your teacher? Did you make friends?

Lucas: Oui je l’ai fait!

English – Lucas: Yes I did!

Here, Lenna uses the term mon cheri to refer to her son. This term of endearment can be used both platonically and romantically.

What are synonyms and antonyms for the term mon cheri in English?

There are many different pet names that one can use to refer to a loved one in English. These terms of endearment are considered synonyms for the French term mon cheri, because they have a similar meaning. Someone might choose to use one of these synonyms rather than the term mon cheri if the person they are speaking to is unfamiliar with the French term. Using a term in another language might confuse the person, so in some cases, it might be better to opt for an English synonym. This list of synonyms is provided by Thesaurus.

  • one and only
  • sweetheart
  • precious
  • light of my life
  • fair-haired boy
  • beloved
  • treasure
  • girlfriend
  • dear one
  • heart’s desire
  • dearie
  • sweetie
  • lamb
  • sugar
  • dearest
  • dear
  • friend
  • apple of one’s eye
  • honeybunch
  • angel
  • darling
  • pet
  • boyfriend
  • flame
  • lover
  • truelove
  • love
  • baby 

If someone wanted to refer to a person who was the opposite of a loved one, they could use an antonym, which is a word of phrase that means the opposite of a given word or phrase. This list of antonyms is also provided by Thesaurus.

  • assailant
  • traitor
  • competitor
  • traducer
  • calumniator
  • guerrilla
  • informer
  • opposition
  • vilifier
  • criminal
  • backbiter
  • bad person
  • seditionist
  • antagonist
  • rebel
  • agent
  • murderer
  • bandit
  • opponent
  • falsifier
  • terrorist
  • revolutionary
  • asperser
  • adversary
  • prosecutor
  • slanderer
  • rival
  • emulator
  • inquisitor
  • assassin
  • enemy
  • betrayer
  • detractor
  • disputant
  • archenemy
  • villain
  • contender
  • attacker
  • fifth column
  • saboteur
  • other side
  • spy
  • defamer
  • defiler
  • foe
  • invader

Overall, the term mon cheri is a French term that means my darling or sweetheart in English. This French term of endearment is very popular both romantically and platonically, and is often used to refer to a loved one. Take your language learning to the next level and learn other terms of endearment in Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Polish, Romanian, Portuguese, and more!

Sources:

  1. https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/darling
  2. https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/enemy
  3. https://www.dictionary.com/e/translations/mon-cheri/
  4. https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-terms-of-endearment/
  5. https://www.wordsense.eu/ch%C3%A9ri/