Arabic Feminine Markers Gender of Nouns
Finally, foreign nouns ending with an A sound (which are common) often end with a feminine -aa in Modern Standard Arabic (but not in Classical Arabic, in which the tied taa'< was usually used).
Examples, in modern Arabic:
|
Shortened ‘alif as a Feminine Marker |
||
|
Music (fem.) |
mooseeqaa |
مُوْسِيْقَىْ |
|
Athena/Athens (fem.) |
‘atheenaa |
أَثِيْنَاْ |
|
Rome (fem.) |
rōmaa |
رومَاْ |
|
Syria (fem.) |
sooryaa |
سُوْرْيَاْ |
|
America (fem.) |
‘amerikaa |
أَمريكَاْ |
Same examples in Classical Arabic (some of them didn’t really exist but the principles did):
|
Music (fem.) |
mooseeqa(t) |
مُوْسِيْقَة |
|
Athena/Athens (fem.) |
‘atheena(t) |
أَثِيْنَة |
|
Rome (fem.) |
roomiyya(t) |
رُوْمِيَّة |
|
Syria (fem.) |
sooriyya(t) |
سُوْرِيَّة |
|
America (fem.) |
‘amreeqiyya(t) |
أَمْرِيْقِيَّة |
|
Gender of Nouns Ending with Shortened ‘alif |
|
|
Less than four letters |
Derived nouns: masculine Irregular plurals: feminine |
|
Four letters or more |
Derived nouns: masculine Comparative ‘af”al: masculine/feminine Irregular plurals: masculine/feminine fa“laa & fu“laa: feminine Verbal nouns without m- prefix: feminine Others: feminine |
|
Proper names |
Passive participles: males Others: females |
Feminine Without Markers
Although feminine markers identify most of the feminine nouns, there will still be few feminine nouns that do not have any of these markers. We will cover here most of these.
►Some nouns that refer to female persons do not have feminine markers.
|
Mother |
‘umm |
أُمّ |
|
Daughter |
bint |
بِنْت* |
|
Sister |
‘ukht |
أُخْت* |
|
Wife in classical Arabic |
zawj |
زَوْج |
|
Bride |
“aroos |
عَرُوْس |
*The open taa'< ت is not standardly considered a feminine marker.
►Some nouns that refer to female animals.
|
Female scorpion also male |
“aqrab |
عَقْرَب |
|
Female spider |
“ankaboot |
عَنْكَبُوْت |
|
Female horse also male |
faras |
فَرَس |
|
Female donkey |
‘ataan |
أَتَاْن |
►All country and town names are feminine except for some Arab countries that were named after geographical features (such as mountains, seas, rivers, etc.) which will follow the geographical features they were named after in masculinity. These masculine country names are namely Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Morocco.
Examples:
|
Egypt (fem.) |
misr |
مِصْر |
|
Palestine (fem.) |
filisteen |
فِلِسْطِيْن |
| Damascus (fem.) |
dimashq |
دِمَشْق |
| India (fem.) | ‘al-hind |
اَلْهِنْد |
| China (fem.) | ‘as–seen |
اَلْصِّيْن |
| New Hampshire (fem.) |
nyoo hampsher |
نيوهمبشر |
|
Iraq (masc.) |
‘al-“iraaq |
اَلْعِرَاْق |
|
Jordan (masc.) |
‘al-‘urdun |
اَلأُرْدُن |
►For names of body parts that don’t have feminine markers, a general rule is that all the parts of which there are more than one are feminine and the rest are masculine.
In a more comprehensive approach:
-
In the head, all the parts are masculine barring the eye, ear, and tooth.
-
In the trunk, all the parts are masculine.
-
In the limbs, all the parts are feminine barring the elbow and the forearm.
-
All the internal organs are masculine barring the liver.
That was, of course, for parts that don’t have feminine markers in their names.
Examples:
|
Eye (fem.) |
“ayn |
عَيْن |
| Ear (fem.) | ‘uthun |
أُذُن |
|
Hand (fem.) |
yad |
يَد |
| Foot (fem.) | qadam |
قَدَم |
| Liver (fem.) | kabid | كَبِد |
| Head (masc.) | ra'<s | رَأْس |
| Back (masc.) | zahr | ظَهْر |
►The following list contains nearly all the singular feminine nouns without feminine markers and which have not been mentioned above.
| Land/earth (fem.) | ‘ard |
أَرْض |
|
Heaven (fem.) |
samaa'< |
سَمَاْء |
| Sun (fem.) | shams |
شَمْس |
| Fire (fem.) | naar |
نَاْر |
| Residence (fem.) | daar |
دَاْر |
| Route/way (fem.) | tareeq |
طَرِيْق |
| Market (fem.) | sooq | سُوْق |
| Wine (fem.) | khamr |
خَمْر |
| Well (fem.) | bi'<r |
بِئْر |
| Millstone (fem.) | rahaa |
رَحَىْ |
|
Stick/cane (fem.) |
“asaa |
عَصَاْ |
| War (fem.) | harb |
حَرْب |
| Axe (fem.) | fa'<s |
فَأْس |
| Knife (fem.) | sikkeen |
سِكِّيْن |
| Pot (fem.) | qidr |
قِدْر |
| Cup (fem.) | ka'<s |
كَأْس |
| Wind (fem.) | reeh | رِيْح |
| Soul/spirit (fem.) | rooh |
رُوْح |
| Soul/being (fem.) | nafs | نَفْس |
| State (fem.) | haal |
حَاْل |
| Hell (fem.) | jahannam |
جَهَنَّم |
| Ship (Ark) (fem.) | fulk |
فُلْك |
Exercise
Can you guess the gender of the following singular nouns?
|
Court |
مَحْكَمَة |
|
Largest |
كُبْرَىْ |
|
Death |
مَوْت |
|
White |
بَيْضَاْء |
|
Sad |
حَزِيْن |
|
Germany |
أَلْمَاْنْيَاْ |
|
Peas |
بَاْزِلاَّء |
|
Constructing |
إِنْشَاْء |
|
Paper |
وَرَقَة |
|
Sea |
بَحْر |
|
Evening |
مَسَاْء |
|
Female proper name |
مَيْسَاْء |
|
Helping (help) |
مُسَاْعَدَة |
|
Thirsty |
عَطْشَىْ |
|
Nile |
اَلْنِّيْل |
|
Turkey |
تُرْكْيَاْ |
|
Leg |
سَاْق |
| Drunk |
سَكْرَاْن |
|
Pen |
قَلَم |
|
Knife |
سِكِّيْن |
Answers
|
Court (fem.) |
مَحْكَمَة |
|
Largest (fem. adj.) |
كُبْرَىْ |
|
Death (masc.) |
مَوْت |
|
White (fem. adj.) |
بَيْضَاْء |
|
Sad (masc. adj.) |
حَزِيْن |
|
Germany (fem.) |
أَلْمَاْنْيَاْ |
|
Peas (fem.) |
بَاْزِلاَّء |
|
Constructing (construction) (masc.) |
إِنْشَاْء |
|
Paper (fem.) |
وَرَقَة |
|
Sea (masc.) |
بَحْر |
|
Evening (masc.) |
مَسَاْء |
|
Female proper name (fem.) |
مَيْسَاْء |
|
Helping (help) (fem.) |
مُسَاْعَدَة |
|
Thirsty (fem. adj.) |
عَطْشَىْ |
|
Nile (masc.) |
اَلْنِّيْل |
|
Turkey (fem.) |
تُرْكْيَاْ |
|
Leg (fem.) |
سَاْق |
| Drunk (masc. adj.) |
سَكْرَاْن |
|
Pen (masc.) |
قَلَم |
|
Knife (fem.) |
سِكِّيْن |