je ne sais quoi

American  

[zhuh n^uh se kwa] / ʒə nə sɛ ˈkwa /

noun

French.

1. an indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one.

   She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody.

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je ne sais quoi British  

/ ʒənsekwa /

noun

1. an indefinable quality, esp of personality

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je ne sais quoi Cultural  

1. That little something; a quality that eludes description: “The Mona Lisa's smile has a certain je ne sais quoi.” From French, meaning “I don't know what.”

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Usage

What does je ne sais quoi mean? Je ne sais quoi literally means "I don't know what" in French. The phrase was borrowed into English as an expression of a quality that makes something or someone attractive, distinctive, or special in some way, but is hard to put into words.

Etymology

Origin of je ne sais quoi

Literally, “I don't know what”

Example Sentences

Influencers and brands are attempting to cash in by bottling and selling Carolyn’s unreplicable je ne sais quoi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

It became a symbol of the British star and of a certain je ne sais quoi in boho style and the freewheeling nature of Cannes.

From New York Times • May 10, 2023

Others gravitate to rooms with views, or dishes with a French je ne sais quoi.

From Washington Post • Jan. 24, 2023

I could spend anywhere from an hour to five or six hours writing, but it just depends on if I have the creative je ne sais quoi — the sort of inspiration and motivation.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2022

Those whose fables and metaphors, whose similes, and soliloquies, whose diction and je ne sais quoi daily slip into your survival soup, by way of their fingers.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat