How to Know if a German Noun is Masculine, Feminine, Neuter, or Plural
💡 Introduction
If you’re learning German, one of the first challenges you’ll face is figuring out whether a noun is masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). These gender rules are essential because they affect articles, adjective endings, and sentence structure.
Don’t worry — this guide from GermanLanguageHub will help you easily identify the gender of any noun and understand how German plurals work too.
🧔 Masculine Nouns — der
Masculine nouns usually refer to male people, animals, or professions, but many objects are masculine too.
✅ Examples:
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der Mann (man)
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der Lehrer (male teacher)
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der Hund (dog)
📘 Common Endings for Masculine Nouns
If a noun ends with one of these, it’s usually masculine:
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-en, -el, -er → der Garten, der Vogel, der Computer
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-ig → der König (king)
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-ich → der Teppich (carpet)
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-ling → der Schmetterling (butterfly)
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-or, -us → der Motor, der Zirkus
💡 Tip:
All days, months, and seasons are masculine.
👉 der Montag, der Mai, der Sommer
👩 Feminine Nouns — die
Feminine nouns often refer to female people, professions, or living beings, and many abstract nouns are feminine too.
✅ Examples:
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die Frau (woman)
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die Lehrerin (female teacher)
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die Katze (cat)
📘 Common Endings for Feminine Nouns
Most nouns ending in these are feminine:
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-e → die Blume (flower), die Sonne (sun)
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-heit, -keit → die Freiheit (freedom), die Möglichkeit (possibility)
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-ung → die Zeitung (newspaper)
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-schaft → die Freundschaft (friendship)
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-ion, -tät, -ik → die Nation, die Universität, die Musik
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-in → die Ärztin (female doctor)
💡 Tip:
Names of airplanes, ships, and motorbikes are usually feminine:
👉 die Titanic, die Boeing, die Yamaha
🧸 Neuter Nouns — das
Neuter nouns are often objects, young living beings, or collective terms.
✅ Examples:
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das Kind (child)
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das Auto (car)
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das Haus (house)
📘 Common Endings for Neuter Nouns
Most nouns ending in these are neuter:
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-chen, -lein → das Mädchen, das Fräulein
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-ment → das Instrument
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-tum → das Eigentum (property)
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-um → das Zentrum (center)
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-ma → das Thema (theme), das Drama (drama)
💡 Tip:
Most verbs used as nouns (infinitives) are neuter:
👉 das Essen (food), das Schwimmen (swimming)
👥 Plural Nouns — die (for all genders)
All plural nouns in German take “die”, no matter their singular gender.
✅ Examples:
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der Tisch → die Tische
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die Blume → die Blumen
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das Kind → die Kinder
📘 Common Plural Endings
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-e → der Hund → die Hunde
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-en / -n → die Frau → die Frauen
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-er → das Kind → die Kinder
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-s → das Auto → die Autos
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Vowel changes (Umlaut) → der Mann → die Männer
💡 Tip:
Always memorize the noun with its article (e.g., der Tisch, die Lampe, das Buch). This builds natural fluency in gender recognition.
🧭 Quick Summary Table
| Gender | Article | Common Endings | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | -en, -el, -er, -ig, -ich, -ling, -or | der Lehrer, der Teppich, der Motor |
| Feminine | die | -e,-heit,-keit,-ung,-schaft,-ion,-tät,-in | die Blume, die Freiheit, die Lehrerin |
| Neuter | das | -chen, -lein, -ment, -tum, -um, -ma | das Mädchen, das Zentrum, das Thema |
| Plural | die | -e, -en, -er, -s | die Bücher, die Kinder, die Blumen |
🗣️ Practice Tip
There are exceptions in every rule, so the best method to master noun genders is:
✅ Learn nouns with their article
✅ Practice through speaking and writing exercises
✅ Read short German texts daily
You can also make flashcards — one side with the noun, the other with its article and plural form.
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