Dessiner et colorier un mandala en français débutant

What does “crayon à papier” mean in French, and why do regions disagree?

In French, “un crayon” alone is not enough. The plain grey pencil you write and erase with is “un crayon à papier.” The ones you color with are “des crayons de couleur.” Elsa holds up each one in the video so you hear the difference clearly. That grey pencil also has a fun twist: what you call it often changes depending on where in France you grew up. Different regions use different names for it.

In the clip Elsa says: “ça ce sont des crayons de couleur... mais ici c’est un crayon à papier et on peut gommer le crayon à papier” (“these are colored pencils... but this is a graphite pencil, and you can erase a graphite pencil”). The name for the grey pencil often depends on the region. Paris and the north tend to say “crayon à papier” (or “de papier”); the west and south often say “crayon de bois” (wood pencil); and you may also hear “crayon gris,” “crayon-mine,” or “crayon noir.” In Belgium people may just say “crayon.” In Québec it is usually “crayon de plomb” (lead pencil) or “crayon à mine.” There is no real lead in a pencil today. The core is graphite. Long ago people thought graphite was a type of lead and called it “mine de plomb,” and that old name stuck. Useful related words from the video: “une gomme” (eraser), “gommer” (to erase), and “un taille-crayon” (pencil sharpener).