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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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