Feminine Gender (‫ﺚ‬

‫ ﹸ‬‫ﺆﻧ‬ ‫)ﺍ ﹸﳌ‬

a) The usual feminine ending, as said in the first lesson, is ‫ﺓ‬ ( closed
Ta – ‫ﻮ ﹶﻃ ﹸﺔ‬‫ﺮﺑ‬ ‫ ) ﺍﻟﺘﺎ ُﺀ ﺍ ﹶﳌ‬, e.g. ‫ﻤ ﹸﺔ‬ ‫ﻃ‬ ‫ ﻓﹶﺎ‬, ‫ﺮ ﹲﺓ‬ ‫ﺑ ﹶﻘ‬ a cow, ‫ﻳ ﹲﺔ‬‫ﺮ‬ ‫ ﹶﻗ‬a village, ‫ﻣ ﹲﺔ‬ ‫ﻼ‬
‫ﺳ ﹶ‬ safety.
However, two feminine nouns have a long ‫( ﺕ‬open Ta – ُ‫ﺔ‬‫ﻮﺣ‬‫) ﺍﻟﺘﺎ ُﺀ ﺍﹶﳌ ﹾﻔﺘ‬
at the end. They are: ‫ﺖ‬
 ‫ﺧ‬ ‫ ﹸﺃ‬sister, ‫ﺖ‬
 ‫ﻨ‬ ‫ ﹺﺑ‬daughter.
b) The second feminine ending is known as alif maqşũrah ( ‫ﻮﺭﺓ‬‫ﻣ ﹾﻘﺼ‬ ‫ﻒ‬‫) ﺃﻟ‬
short alif which is ‫ ﻯ‬pronounced as ã , e.g. ‫ﻴﻠﹶﻰ‬ ‫ ﹶﻟ‬, ‫ﻰ‬‫ﺳ ﹾﻠﻤ‬ ( names of
women ), ‫ﻯ‬‫ﻐﺮ‬ ‫ﺻ‬
 ( smaller,f. ), ‫ﻯ‬‫ﺒﺮ‬ ‫ ( ﹸﻛ‬greater,f. ).
c) The third feminine ending is called alif mamdũdah ( ‫ﺓ‬‫ﻭﺩ‬‫ﻤﺪ‬ ‫ﻣ‬ ‫ﻒ‬‫ ) ﺃﻟ‬,
long alif which is hamzah preceded by alif, e.g. ‫ﺎ ُﺀ‬‫ﺳﻤ‬ ‫ ( ﺃ‬name of a
woman ), ‫ﺎ ُﺀ‬‫ﻤﻴ‬ ‫ﻋ‬ ( blind woman ), ُ‫ﺎﺀ‬‫ﺴﻨ‬  ‫ﺣ‬ ( beautiful woman ).
d) There are, however, feminine nouns that do not have any of these
endings. They may be classified in the following categories:
1. Names of women, e.g.
‫ﻢ‬ ‫ﻳ‬‫ﺮ‬ ‫ﻣ‬ ، ‫ﺪ‬ ‫ﻨ‬‫ﻫ‬ ، ‫ﺐ‬
 ‫ﻨ‬‫ﻳ‬‫ﺯ‬
2. Females, e.g.
‫ﻡ‬ ‫ ﹸﺍ‬mother, ‫ﺱ‬
 ‫ﻭ‬‫ﻋﺮ‬ bride, ‫ﺎ ﹲﻥ‬‫ ﹶﺍﺗ‬she ass.
3. Parts of the body that are double, e.g.
‫ﻦ‬ ‫ﻴ‬ ‫ﻋ‬ eye, ‫ﺪ‬ ‫ﻳ‬ hand, ‫ ﹸﺍ ﹸﺫ ﹲﻥ‬ear,
‫ﻉ‬ ‫ﺭﺍ‬‫ ﺫ‬arm, ‫ﺟ ﹲﻞ‬ ‫ ﹺﺭ‬foot, leg ‫ﻕ‬
 ‫ﺎ‬‫ ﺳ‬shank.
4. Names of towns and countries, e.g.
‫ﺮ‬ ‫ﺼ‬ ‫ﻣ‬ Egypt, ‫ﺎ‬‫ﻮ ﹺﺭﻳ‬‫ ﺳ‬Syria, ‫ﺪ‬ ‫ﻨ‬ ‫ﳍ‬ ‫ ﺍ‬India.
5. Some everyday words, e.g.
‫ﺭ‬ ‫ ﺩﺍ‬house, ‫ﺭ‬ ‫ﺎ‬‫ ﻧ‬fire, ‫ﺢ‬
 ‫ﻳ‬‫ ﹺﺭ‬wind,
‫ﺎ ٌﺀ‬‫ﺳﻤ‬ sky, ‫ﺲ‬
 ‫ﻤ‬ ‫ﺷ‬ sun, ‫ﺏ‬
 ‫ﺮ‬ ‫ﺣ‬ war,
‫ﺽ‬
 ‫ﺭ‬ ‫ ﹶﺍ‬earth, ‫ﺲ‬
 ‫ﻧ ﹾﻔ‬ soul, ‫ﻖ‬ ‫ﻳ‬‫ ﹶﻃ ﹺﺮ‬way,path.
All the nouns that do not fall in these categories are masculine. You may also say that all
nouns are masculine except those that belong to these categories.

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