The two-letter language code for French is fr, under the ISO 639-1 standard. Use lowercase fr when a form or system asks for a two-letter language code; codes for a country, region, or a specific variety of French are different.
What “fr” means
fr identifies the French language, rather than France as a country. It is one of the standardized two-letter language identifiers in ISO 639-1, a widely used international list for representing languages. The code is based on the name “français,” French for the French language.
This distinction matters because language and location are separate pieces of information. French is spoken in many countries, while France has other languages spoken within its borders. A language field should therefore contain fr, not a country code such as FR.
Language code, country code, and locale
These labels are often confused, but they describe different things:
- Language:
fridentifies French. - Country:
FRis the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for France. Country codes are conventionally uppercase. - Locale or language tag:
fr-FRcommonly indicates French as used in France. It combines a language identifier with a region identifier.
For example, a website might offer a French translation labeled “Français” and store its language as fr. If it needs to distinguish that version from French intended for Canada, it might use fr-FR and fr-CA. The extra region component refines the selection; it does not change the two-letter language code.
How the code is used
Short language identifiers help software and organizations label content consistently. You may encounter fr in a language selector, a document catalog, a data field, or a web language tag. The exact format depends on what the field requests: a basic language code, a country code, or a complete locale tag.
For a basic language field, use fr. In a document or template, a clear entry could look like this:
- Language:
fr - Language and region:
fr-FR(French as used in France) - Country:
FR(France)
Do not add a region just because the text is written in French. Add one when the application asks for a locale or when regional distinctions matter, such as spelling, vocabulary, date conventions, or audience.
ISO codes and longer forms
ISO 639-1 assigns two-letter codes to many major languages. French is fr; English is en; and Spanish is es. The standard is useful when a system needs a compact, recognizable language label.
Other language-code standards include longer identifiers. ISO 639-2 uses three-letter codes for languages, and French has the bibliographic code fre and the terminology code fra. ISO 639-3 also uses fra for French. These are not substitutes to type into a field specifically requesting a two-letter code: for that request, enter fr.
Choosing the right format
Check the wording of the field or the technical specification before entering a value. A practical way to decide is:
- If it says “two-letter language code” or “ISO 639-1,” enter
fr. - If it asks for a country or country/region code, use the appropriate country code, such as
FRfor France orCAfor Canada. - If it asks for a locale or language tag, use the requested combined format, such as
fr-FRorfr-CA. - If it requires a three-letter language code, follow that standard’s specification; French may appear as
fraor, in the ISO 639-2 bibliographic list,fre.
Capitalization can depend on the code component and convention. Language subtags are normally written in lowercase, while country or region subtags are conventionally uppercase in common language-tag formats. A system may accept different capitalization, but matching its documented format avoids ambiguity.
French language code template
Use this generic reference table to record the format a form or project requires. Leave fields blank until you know what the receiving system requests.
| Field | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Language name | ||
| Two-letter language code | ||
| Country or region, if requested | ||
| Full locale or language tag, if requested | ||
| Code standard or field instructions |
Sample (fictional): Language name: French; two-letter language code: fr; region: France; locale: fr-FR; field instruction: “Enter a language tag.” This is an example, not a claim that every form requires a locale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the two-letter code for French?
It is fr, the ISO 639-1 language code.
Is French code fr or FR?
For the language, use lowercase fr. Uppercase FR is the country code for France, not the two-letter language code.
What is the code for French in France?
The language code alone is fr. A common language-and-region tag is fr-FR, which specifies French as used in France.
What is the two-letter code for Canadian French?
The language is still fr. A common tag that adds the Canadian region is fr-CA.
Why do I sometimes see fre or fra?
They are three-letter codes used by other language-code lists. Use them only when the relevant field or standard requests a three-letter code; for the two-letter form, use fr.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most frequent error is entering FR when a form asks for a language. That identifies France, not French. Another is adding a region unnecessarily: fr is complete when the field asks only for the language, while fr-FR includes extra regional information.
When a form’s terminology is unclear, check its instructions or the data standard it names rather than guessing. The reliable short answer remains: French language, fr.