Masculine and Feminine in Arabic Grammar: A Complete Guide

Masculine and Feminine in Arabic Grammar: A Complete Guide

In Arabic, every noun is either masculine (مُذَكَّر, mudhakkar) or feminine (مُؤَنَّث, mu’annath). Unlike English, where gender applies mainly to people and animals, Arabic assigns gender to all nouns, including objects and abstract concepts. Understanding how gender works is essential for forming correct sentences in Arabic.

In this guide, you'll learn:
✅ How to recognize masculine and feminine nouns
✅ How gender affects adjectives, verbs, and pronouns
✅ Special plural rules and exceptions

Let’s dive in! 🚀

1️⃣ Masculine Nouns (الاسم المُذَكَّر)

A noun is masculine by default unless it has a sign of being feminine. Most Arabic words that don’t have a specific feminine marker are considered masculine.

Examples of Masculine Nouns:

• رَجُلٌ (rajulun) – A man
• كِتابٌ (kitābun) – A book
• قَلَمٌ (qalamun) – A pen
• جَبَلٌ (jabalun) – A mountain

If you’re unsure whether a word is masculine or feminine, assume it’s masculine unless it has a feminine indicator.

2️⃣ Feminine Nouns (الاسم المُؤَنَّث)

A noun is feminine if it has one of the following four signs:

📌 A. Ends with ـة (tā’ marbūṭah)

This is the most common feminine marker in Arabic. Words that end in ـة are usually feminine.

✅ سَيَّارَةٌ (sayyāratun) – A car
✅ مَدْرَسَةٌ (madrasatun) – A school
✅ كَلِمَةٌ (kalimatun) – A word

📌 B. Refers to Female Beings

Any noun referring to a female person or animal is feminine, even if it doesn’t end in ـة.

✅ أُمٌّ (ummun) – Mother
✅ بِنْتٌ (bintun) – Girl/Daughter
✅ جَدَّةٌ (jaddatun) – Grandmother

📌 C. Dual Body Parts (Some Exceptions!)

Some body parts that come in pairs are feminine, even if they don’t have ـة.

✅ عَيْنٌ (‘aynun) – Eye
✅ يَدٌ (yadun) – Hand
✅ رِجْلٌ (rijlun) – Leg

These words might seem masculine at first, but they follow feminine grammar rules!

📌 D. Special Feminine Words (No Obvious Sign!)

Some nouns are feminine without an obvious pattern. These words need to be memorized.

✅ شَمْسٌ (shamsun) – Sun
✅ نَفْسٌ (nafsun) – Soul
✅ أَرْضٌ (arḍun) – Earth

There are also some exceptions, so always check how a word is used in a sentence.

3️⃣ How Gender Affects Sentence Structure

In Arabic, adjectives, verbs, and pronouns must match the noun’s gender.

✔ Adjective Agreement:

• رَجُلٌ طَويلٌ (rajulun ṭawīlun) – A tall man (masculine)
• بِنْتٌ طَويلَةٌ (bintun ṭawīlatun) – A tall girl (feminine)

✔ Verb Agreement:

• ذَهَبَ الرَّجُلُ (dhahaba ar-rajulu) – The man went (masculine verb)
• ذَهَبَتِ البِنْتُ (dhahabat al-bintu) – The girl went (feminine verb)

✔ Pronoun Agreement:

• هُوَ طَالِبٌ (huwa ṭālibun) – He is a student (masculine)
• هِيَ طَالِبَةٌ (hiya ṭālibatun) – She is a student (feminine)

4️⃣ Plural Rules & Exceptions

📌 Human Plurals

If the plural refers to people, the endings change based on gender:

• Masculine plural: ـونَ / ـينَ
  ✅ مُدَرِّسُونَ (mudarrisūna) – Male teachers
• Feminine plural: ـات
  ✅ مُدَرِّسَاتٌ (mudarrisātun) – Female teachers

📌 Non-Human Plurals (Important Rule!)

All non-human plurals (objects, animals, and abstract concepts) are treated as singular feminine!

✅ كُتُبٌ كَبِيرَةٌ (kutubun kabīratun) – Big books
✅ سَيَّارَاتٌ جَمِيلَةٌ (sayyārātun jamīlatun) – Beautiful cars

Even though books and cars are plural, the adjective takes the singular feminine form (كبيرةٌ, جميلةٌ).

5️⃣ Quick Summary: Masculine vs. Feminine

Masculine	Feminine
No ـة ending (usually)	Ends with ـة
Refers to males	Refers to females
Most objects and places	Some exceptions (sun, earth, soul)
Default form in Arabic	Used for dual body parts (eye, hand, leg)

6️⃣ How to Recognize Gender Easily

If you’re not sure whether a noun is masculine or feminine, try adding an adjective!

For example:
✅ كِتابٌ كَبِيرٌ (kitābun kabīrun) – A big book (Masculine adjective)
✅ مَدْرَسَةٌ كَبِيرَةٌ (madrasatun kabīratun) – A big school (Feminine adjective)

If the adjective ends in ـة, the noun is feminine. If not, it’s masculine!

Final Tip: Practice & Comment Below!

Now that you understand masculine and feminine nouns in Arabic, let’s practice!

📌 Try this: Comment one Arabic noun, and I’ll tell you if it’s masculine or feminine!

If you found this guide helpful, share it with your friends and let’s keep learning Arabic together! 😊

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👉 Join the conversation below! What’s the most surprising Arabic gender rule you’ve learned? Let’s discuss! 👇