Language/Russian/Grammar/Noun-Gender

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Russian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Nouns and Gender → Noun Gender

Russian nouns have three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Understanding noun gender is important in Russian grammar as it affects the form of adjectives, pronouns, and verbs that accompany the noun. In this lesson, we will learn how to identify the gender of a noun based on its ending.

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns in Russian typically end in a consonant or the soft sign "ь". Some common examples of masculine nouns are:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
мальчик	mal'chik	boy
дом	dom	house
стол	stol	table

As you can see, these nouns do not have a specific ending that indicates their gender. Instead, you need to memorize the gender of each noun.

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns in Russian typically end in "а" or "я". Some common examples of feminine nouns are:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
девочка	dyevachka	girl
мама	mama	mother
книга	kniga	book

These endings can help you identify the gender of a noun. However, keep in mind that there are exceptions and some feminine nouns may not end in "а" or "я".

Neuter Nouns

Neuter nouns in Russian typically end in "о" or "е". Some common examples of neuter nouns are:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
окно	okno	window
море	more	sea
время	vryemya	time

Like feminine nouns, the endings of neuter nouns can give you a clue about their gender. However, there are exceptions and not all neuter nouns end in "о" or "е".

Exceptions

While there are general rules for identifying noun gender based on their endings, there are also many exceptions in Russian. Some nouns do not follow the typical patterns and have irregular genders. Here are a few examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	Gender	English
человек	chelovyek	masculine	person
дочь	doch'	feminine	daughter
яйцо	yeytso	neuter	egg

As you can see, these nouns do not follow the usual patterns. It is important to memorize the gender of these irregular nouns.

Summary

In this lesson, we learned about the three genders of Russian nouns: masculine, feminine, and neuter. We discussed the typical endings for each gender and looked at some common examples. However, it is important to remember that there are exceptions to these patterns, and some nouns have irregular genders. As you continue to study Russian, you will become more familiar with the gender of different nouns and how it affects the language.

Table of Contents - Russian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Cyrillic Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Basic Phrases and Greetings

• Greetings and Introductions
• Everyday Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Noun Gender
• Plurals

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Cases and Prepositions

• Nominative Case
• Prepositional Case

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships and Marital Status

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

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Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Out

  ---

Russian Traditions and Holidays

• National Holidays
• Traditional Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Hobbies
• Entertainment

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Russian Literature and Arts

• Famous Writers
• Russian Art and Music

Sources

• Gender in Russian - Russian Grammar
• Nouns gender in Russian :: Study Russian Online
• How to Determine the Gender of Russian Nouns

Other Lessons

• Use of the verb быть in the past
• Plurals
• Negation
• Very important rules
• Gender
• Gender Recognition
• Accusative Case
• Past Tense Conjugations
• Tricky Adverbs
• Present Tense Conjugations

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