Inspired by the Quran Quranic Arabic Level 1
3 . A Noun is: Male or Female?
Gender in Arabic can be classified into two – Masculine and Feminine
There are few rules you can follow in order to determine if a noun is masculine or
feminine.
a. Feminine / املؤنث
Reasons are:
1. Nouns that are (real)feminine by meaning:
َحا ِمل ِن َساء
2. Nouns that have the feminine marker at the end:
2.1. Nouns ending with ةmarbuta
ٌ طَالِبَة، ٌ ُح ْج َرة، ٌاعة
َ َس
2.2. Nouns ending in alif Maqsoorah ()ى:
بُ ْشرى، َسلْمى، سلَوى
َ ، صغْرى
ُ ، ُح ْسىن
2.3. Nouns ending in alif Mamdoodah (ُ)اء:
ُص ْف َراء
َ ، ُ َس ْو َداء، ُض َراء
ْ َخ، ُص ْح َراء
َ
3. Nouns that are considered feminine as an exception to the rules above ( ٌ َُّم َؤن
ث
ِ َ) ِِس:
اعي
3.1 Names of cities, countries and tribes
َأ رم ِرري َك، َمكَّ ُة، ََب ِك رس َت ُان، قُ َريرش، ْص
ُ ِم ر
3.2 Body parts in pairs:
ِ ِ ِ
ب
ٌ َم ْنك، م ْرفَ ٌق، ب ٌ َك ْع، أُذُ ٌن، قَ َد ٌم، ِر ْج ٌل، يَ ٌد، ْي
ٌ ع َق، َسا ٌق، ب ٌْ َع
3.3 Some elements of nature:
ٌ ْ ِري، س
ح ٌ ْ ََش، ٌ َِسَاء، ض
ٌ أ َْر
Tip: Look for the reasons for a word to be feminine. If those reasons are not found, then it is masculine.
1|P a ge
Inspired by the Quran Quranic Arabic Level 1
3.4 Non-human broken plurals ام ُو ُج ْوهٌ أَق ََْل ٌم
ٌ َُكتُب أ ْعن
3.5 Few more words where the gender is determined by common usage
بِئْ ٌر، يلِ ٌ َح ْر،صا
ٌ َسب، ب ٌْ ِ ِسك، ْي
َ َع، َدل ٌْو، ُرئْ يَا، ْي ٌْ َع، ََن ٌر، ََخْ ٌر
b. Masculine/ امل ُ َذكَّ ُر
Reasons are:
1. Words that are masculine by meaning:
(ر ُجلman) , (ولboy)
2. Nouns that do not show the reasons for being feminine:
بَيرت،َش ِارع
3. A Group:
When there is a group of mixed gender, no matter what the ratio is of females
to males and males to females, the group is always referred to as masculine.
النَّ ُاس امل ُ رؤ ِمنُ رو َن
Note: Some nouns are considered both masculine and feminine
ُس ْو ٌق، ال
ٌ َح، ح
ٌ ُرْو، س
ٌ نَ ْف، بَلَ ٌد
Some masculine nouns also end with the feminine ة
ُ ُعبَ ْي َدة، ٌ َخلِ ْي َفة، ُْحة
َ طَل،ََُحْ َزة
3Aِ Change the following nouns into the feminine form
1. النَّاظ ُر 2. ُ ِ َّالن
ائ
3. َسا ِحر 4. َجا ِهد
5. خَا ِدع 6. ِ َّ
الَّنير ُل
7. َج َّبار 8. الغَا ِف ُر
Tip: Look for the reasons for a word to be feminine. If those reasons are not found, then it is masculine.
2|P a ge
Inspired by the Quran Quranic Arabic Level 1
9. ُ ِ الص
ائ َّ 10. السا ِر ُق َّ
11. عَاجِ ز 12. ُ ِ َّالر
اس
13. التَّ َّو ُاب 14. َنَ ئِ َمة
15. ا ُألخ ُرت 16. َْضا ُء
َ خر
17. ا ُألخ ُرت 18. ا ُألم
19. َنَ ر 20. ِر رجل
3B True or False
1. All Arabic nouns are either masculine or feminine, although there are a few that can
be referred to by both. T/F
2. Nouns that are associated to the female gender, always have the ةending. T/F
3. Mixed gender groups are referred to as masculine regardless of what the ratio of
male to female is in the group.T/F
4. Living creatures are referred to by the gender they represent. T/F
5. All Broken Plurals are treated Feminine. T/F
6. Only proper nouns can be treated Masculine. T/F
7. “They” is a noun. T/F
8. “Created” is a verb. T/F
9. “Hands” are considered masculine. T/F
10. “Moon” is considered feminine. T/F
11. “Sun” is considered feminine. T/F
12. The three kinds of words are Nouns, Verbs and Particles. T/F
Tip: Look for the reasons for a word to be feminine. If those reasons are not found, then it is masculine.
3|P a ge
Inspired by the Quran Quranic Arabic Level 1
3C 1.
Fill in the Blanks
_________________ in pairs are considered Feminine.
2. Elements from earth are treated as the __________________ gender.
3. Names of cities, countries and tribes are considered to be from the
__________________ and are classed as _______________ in type.
4. ا ِجل َبا ُلis ______________ in type and _____________ in gender.
5. ُم َعا ِويَ ُةis _____________ in type and ______________ in gender.
6. َخ ِل ري َفةis ______________ in type and ______________ in gender.
7. ِريرحis ______________ in type and _______________ in gender.
8. َجنَّةis ______________in type and ________________ in gender.
9. ُك ُتبis _____________ in type and ________________ in gender.
10. َخضَراءis _______ in gender.
3D State why the nouns are feminine in the following ayats
ب َ ر َْلة َط ِي َبة َو َر ٌّب غَ ُفور.1
اَّنَّ َا ب َ َق َرة َص رف َرا ُء.2
ِ
َوا َذا ر َاأل رر ُض ُمد رَّت.3
ِ
Tip: Look for the reasons for a word to be feminine. If those reasons are not found, then it is masculine.
4|P a ge
Inspired by the Quran Quranic Arabic Level 1
َو ِلنَ رج َع َ َُل أيَ ًة لِلنَّ ِاس َو َر ر َْح ًة ِمنَّا .4
َوا َذا الر َم رو ُءو َد ُة ُس ئِلَ رت .5
ِم ِ َن ألۡجِ نَّ ِة َوألنَّ ِاس .6
قَا َل ََي َم رر َ ُي أَ ََّّن َ َِل َه َذا .7
3E Identify the nouns with their type and gender in the following verses of the
Quran
كِتَب َّم ۡرقوم .1
ۡ ۡ
يَش َهده ٱلم َقَّربو َن .2
ۡ
إِ َّن ٱۡل َۡب َر َار لَِفي نَعِيم .3
اِ ََل فِر َعو َن .4
ۡ
َ َإِذ ق
ال يوسف .5
اّللَ َعلِيم َحكِيم
َّ إِ َّن .6
Tip: Look for the reasons for a word to be feminine. If those reasons are not found, then it is masculine.
5|P a ge
