Take the 2-minute tour ×


share|improve this question
I'd like to point that this expression only exists in France (should we add the "France" tag?). –  Sifu Aug 13 '14 at 12:40
@Sifu Good question... if the expression essentially doesn't exist in français québéquois, then I say yes. It is helpful, in my opinion, to be able to separate cultural variances in language - for example, how tabarnac doesn't exist in thelanguage in France, because it a specific part of Québec culture. –  Chris Cirefice Oct 5 '14 at 3:26
“Je kiffe [something]” is slang but not offensive and pretty common. “Je te kiffe”, said to a person is a little more tricky to use without offending. –  Relaxed Oct 5 '14 at 11:07

6 Answers 6

up vote 5 down vote accepted

“Kiffer” is a derivative of “kif”, which comes from Arabic meaning “hashish” (or at least something related to hemp, I’m a bit short on serious references), figuratively “sensation of pleasure (due to hasish)”. It usually means to appreciate, to enjoy, to like. I’m not sure it's still in use nowadays, but it was enough in the nineties to warrant its apparition in Le Robert 1, 1993 edition.

In Walloon secondary schools some fifteen to twelve years ago, however, the verb's more usual meaning was simply “to smoke weed”.

In any case, I’ve only encountered it in familiar register.

share|improve this answer
I am not sure “kif” means “hashish” in Arabic. Isn't it the other way around (i.e. a broader meaning in Arabic that became associated with hemp in French)? See also fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiffer and “kif-kif”. –  Relaxed Oct 5 '14 at 11:05


Often used by younger people like teenagers.





share|improve this answer
+1 For centring this in its social context: "Je the kiffe" is fine if you don't mind sounding like a 1990s teenager... –  Neil Coffey Oct 6 '14 at 15:42




share|improve this answer

But in the NTM song "Ma Benz" there is a line,

J'veux juste que tu puisses me kiffer jusqu'à l'aube

so it probably could, in some contexts, have a nastier sense of physically pleasuring someone. Maybe it's just making out (snogging for Brits), but in the context of the song, it might possibly be a new euphemism for having intercourse, or simply be a direct translation to "pleasuring" in a broader generic sense. I'm not even French, let alone live in the téci, so I have no idea.

share|improve this answer
I personally don't interpret it the way you did. More like a funky way (see my answer) to say "to like/love me". Of course the rapper might be insinuating some extra related "actions". Note: I don't personally know that song, it might clearly set a context making me wrong on my personal assumptions. Thank you for (trying to?) contributing to answers! –  JeromeJ Oct 6 '14 at 17:40



share|improve this answer

"kiffer" for us is "to like" but you can't use it all the time.

It used to be used mainly by teenager, but now it's used by more or less everybody. It is a very familiar word/expression.

You can't say that to everyone, you should use it just with friends and family.

As a french girl, I use it all the time. The real word to "to like" is "aimer".

So for example, to say :

I loved the movie i watched last night

It would be :

j'ai aimé le film que j'ai vu hier soir

but I'll say (with all my friend) :

j'ai kiffé le film que j'ai vu hier soir

If you say to someone "je te kiff" it should be for your friends, not the girl you love or really appreciate.

Hope it helped you!

share|improve this answer

Your Answer


