Cajun Translator
This Cajun translator converts English into Cajun French, the dialect of Louisiana brought by Acadian exiles in the 18th century. Use it as an english to cajun translator for phrases, words, and everyday expressions from bayou country. Free, no signup.
What Is a Cajun Translator?
Cajun French is the French dialect of Louisiana, brought by Acadian exiles the British expelled from Nova Scotia in 1755. This cajun translator converts English into Cajun French and works just as well the other way around.
Over three centuries in Louisiana's bayous and prairies, the Acadian settlers' language mixed with Spanish, English, and Native American words. The result is a dialect with its own vocabulary, grammar shortcuts, and cajun expressions that don't exist anywhere else in the French-speaking world.
Use this tool as a cajun french dictionary for cajun greetings, cajun slang, and everyday cajun phrases. For another creole-influenced dialect, the Jamaican Patois Translator covers the unique blend of English and West African languages spoken in Jamaica.
How to Use This Cajun Translator
Getting your Cajun French translation takes about ten seconds:
- Type or paste English text into the left box
- Hit Translate to get the Cajun French result
- Copy the output, or swap to change direction
To decode, type Cajun French into the left box and click Swap before translating. The cajun french translation to english takes the same amount of time and handles both directions equally well.
Common Cajun Words and Phrases
Common Cajun French words and expressions with their English meanings:
| English | Cajun French |
|---|---|
| Hello / Hey there | Eh là bas |
| Let's go | Allons |
| Dear / Honey | Cher (sha) |
| Well / But | Mais |
| That's good | C'est bon |
| Thank you | Merci |
| How are you? | Comment ça va? |
| Let the good times roll | Laissez les bons temps rouler |
| A little extra | Lagniappe |
Hello in Cajun is most commonly "Eh là bas," a casual cajun greeting used across south Louisiana. C'est bon means that's good and is one of the most-used cajun expressions in everyday speech.
When Would You Actually Use This?
Most people arrive here for one of these reasons:
- Cajun slang dictionary: Decoding cajun slang words and funny cajun expressions heard in Louisiana, in music, or in conversation without knowing what they mean.
- Food and recipes: Translating Cajun dish names like étouffée, boucherie, or praline to understand what you're ordering or cooking.
- Family heritage: Tracing Acadian and Cajun roots, especially if your family came from south Louisiana or the Maritime provinces of Canada.
- Cajun swear words and humor: Cajun cuss words and colorful cajun expressions don't translate directly, but they're a big part of the culture's personality and humor.
My friend's grandfather was from Breaux Bridge and used to call everyone cher, but nobody in the family could explain it. She ran it through here and finally understood it was a French term of endearment, not just a family quirk.
If other regional dialects interest you, the Australian Slang Translator covers the distinctive vocabulary of Strine.
What Makes This Cajun Translator Work
Most standard French translators treat Cajun vocabulary like errors. Words like lagniappe, mais, and cher either come back blank or get mistranslated because no standard cajun french dictionary covers Louisiana-specific usage.
This tool uses AI trained on the cajun language specifically, including grammar shortcuts, dropped syllables, and loan words that set it apart from any other French dialect. It also handles the overlap with louisiana creole french, where Cajun and Creole share vocabulary but differ in origin and meaning.
For other dialect tools, the British Slang Translator and Jamaican Patois Translator cover two more dialects shaped by distinct cultural histories. The Wikipedia article on Cajun French covers the full linguistic history, regional variation, and how to learn cajun language beyond basic phrases.