All German nouns are included in one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neuter. While the gender often does not directly influence the plural forms of nouns, there are exceptions, particularly when it comes to people and professions (e.g. Ärzte/Ärztinnen).
In German, it is useful to memorize nouns with their accompanying definite article in order to remember their gender.While Donaldson (2007) says that it is imperative to do so, Durrell (2017) only mentions that is an ideal method. However, for about 80% of nouns, the grammatical gender can be deduced from their singular and plural forms and their meaning.
Noun forms Derivational suffixes in particular, together with most noun endings, consistently relate with specific genders, and there are very few frequent exceptions to this (as reflected in the first column). Nevertheless, the details in the second column are not solid rules, and their irregularities should be noted. +Noun forms and genderThe lists of exceptions here do not necessarily include all of them. Furthermore, the notes referring to the information in the chart are referenced using the pages on its caption.Masculine endingsMasculine gender indications-ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or, -usThe majority of nouns which come from strong verbs without a suffix (but often with a vowel change).60% of nouns in -el and -er, as well as 80% of those in -en, are masculine.67% of monosyllabic nouns.Feminine endingsFeminine gender indications-a, -ei, -enz, -heit, -ie,Donaldson (2007) asserts that all nouns of French origin ending in -ie, -ik and -ion are feminine. -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -tät, -tion, -ung, -urMost nouns ending in -t originating from verbs.90% of nouns in -e.Neuter endingsNeuter gender indications-chen, -lein, -ma, -ment, -sel, -tel, -tum, -um90% of the nouns with the prefix Ge-.Two-thirds of nouns in -nis and -sal.Most nouns ending in -al, -an, -ar, -är, -at, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on (which are of foreign origin), provided that they designate things. Notes: exceptions and irregularities
Noun meanings The gender of many nouns can be seen by their meaning. However, in almost all circumstances, the rules in the paragraph above override those given here. +Noun meanings and genderMasculine (der)Male human beings and animals. but, for example: die männliche Giraffe (feminine meaning the male giraffe)Seasons, months and days of the week. but: die Mittwoche (dated form for der Mittwoch)Compass points, words about winds and types of weather. but: die Windböe; das Wetter, GewitterRocks and minerals.Alcoholic and plant-based drinks. but: das BierCar brands.Rivers outside Germany.Names of currencies. but: die (Deutsche) Mark, das (britische) PfundNames of the planets of the Solar System. but: die Venus, die ErdeMountains and mountain ranges. but: das GebirgeRain and Precipitation Feminine (die)Female human beings and animals. but, for example: das MädchenFruits, trees, and many flowers. but: der Apfel; trees ending in -baumPlanes, ships and motorbikes. but: das Flugzeug, Schiff, MotorradNames of numerals.Neuter (das)Young human beings and animals. but: der SäuglingMetals and chemical elements. but: der Kohlenstoff, Sauerstoff, Stickstoff, WasserstoffScientific units. but: der Meter; der/das LiterLetters and musical notes. but: der Buchstabe; die NoteCafés, cinemas, hotels and restaurants.Names of companies with no article.Cities, towns, countries, provinces and continents. but: die Schweiz; der/(das) Iran, Irak, SudanDifferent parts of speech used as nouns (most importantly, this category contains verb substantivisations, but also languages, colours and so on).Fractions. Notes for the chart:
Special cases The genders of a few nouns are not fixed, and may be linked to regional or register differences. There are a number of words with two meanings distinguished by gender.
Compounds and abbreviations Compound words usually carry the gender of their last element. Moreover, the gender of abbreviations is decided by the gender of the base word, and shortened words take the gender of the full word.
English loanwords Many loanwords from English adopt the gender of their native German equivalent; the gender of other loanwords may be deduced by the word's form or ending. For example, nouns from English -ing forms are neuter when referring to actions, but masculine when not referring to actions e.g. der Looping, 'loop' esp. in context of a rollercoaster. Another source of neuter loanwords are adverbials like das Off.
Monosyllabic nouns from verbs Monosyllabic nouns from verbs are often masculine, and the same goes for monosyllabic words for which there is no other indication, which are mainly masculine.
Varying gender In many cases the gender can vary, either because of regional differences or because the noun's gender is not firmly established.
Professions
Most job titles have both a masculine and feminine form that reflects the gender of the professional, similar to the English distinction between "waiter" and "waitress". Feminine job titles are usually created by adding -in to the grammatically masculine word in question. For example, the general grammatically masculine term for train driver is (singular or plural). This yields the feminine form (plural: ).
For job listings, if the generic masculine form is used, the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache recommends adding an explanatory note "(männlich/weiblich/divers)" or "(m/w/d)", indicating the role is open to persons of all genders.
In contrast, the German military does not have separate gendered ranks. Even though the grammatically female form of Arzt is Ärztin, the correct form of address for a female medical officer is "Frau Stabsarzt" and not "Frau Stabsärztin".
See also German articles German cases German nouns
Notes
References
Sources
Further reading
External links Identifying a German Word’s Gender, For Dummies (on the Internet Archive). Some Hints on How to Guess Gender, University of Michigan College of LSA (on the Internet Archive). Gender of Nouns , Practical German.