Meaning
In contemporary familiar French, ouf is a verlan form of fou and can describe a person or thing as crazy, wild, bizarre, extreme, or remarkably intense depending on context.
How it is used
Le Robert records familiar adjectival and noun uses of ouf meaning fou or very bizarre. Sociolinguistic work on youth-language vocabulary lists ouf among established verlan forms that circulated beyond tightly bounded peer-group speech.
Examples
- “Ce concert était ouf.”
- “T'es ouf ou quoi ?”
- “Il a une énergie de ouf.”
Pronunciation
/uf/ · OOF
Tone and register
Usually informal and expressive. It can be negative when calling a person irrational or bizarre, but in phrases such as 'un truc de ouf' it can also express admiration, astonishment, or intensity.
Visitor guidance
Visitors should read the surrounding phrase before translating ouf as simply 'crazy'. It may criticize a person, praise an experience, or intensify surprise; in formal settings fou, incroyable, impressionnant, or bizarre may be clearer depending on meaning.
Cultural context
Ouf demonstrates how a verlan form can become ordinary familiar French while retaining a youth-language flavor. Its current national recognizability means it should not be used as evidence that a speaker comes from Paris, a banlieue, or any specific community.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.