Masculine vs Feminine Nouns — The Basics
Quick Answer: Every Hindi noun is either masculine (पुल्लिंग) or feminine (स्त्रीलिंग). Most nouns ending in -आ are masculine; most ending in -ई or -इया are feminine. But there are many exceptions.
Every Hindi noun has a gender — and you must memorize it
Category: Gender System
The Rule
Every Hindi noun is either masculine (पुल्लिंग) or feminine (स्त्रीलिंग). Most nouns ending in -आ are masculine; most ending in -ई or -इया are feminine. But there are many exceptions.
Why This Matters
English dropped grammatical gender centuries ago. Hindi retained it, and it affects verbs, adjectives, and postpositions. English speakers find it baffling that 'table' (मेज़) is feminine and 'door' (दरवाज़ा) is masculine — there's no logical reason, just convention.
Examples
• The boy is tall. — "लड़का लंबा है।" [लड़का (boy, masc.) — ends in -आ, masculine] • The girl is tall. — "लड़की लंबी है।" [लड़की (girl, fem.) — ends in -ई, feminine] • The table is big. — "मेज़ बड़ी है।" [मेज़ (table) is feminine — no obvious ending clue] • Water is cold. — "पानी ठंडा है।" [पानी (water) is masculine despite ending in -ई]
Common Mistakes
❌ मेज़ बड़ा है ✅ मेज़ बड़ी है → मेज़ is feminine; adjective must agree: बड़ी (fem.), not बड़ा (masc.) ❌ पानी ठंडी है ✅ पानी ठंडा है → पानी is masculine despite ending in -ई; adjective must be ठंडा (masc.)
Quick Tip
Rough guide: -आ ending = usually masculine (लड़का, कमरा, दरवाज़ा). -ई/-इया ending = usually feminine (लड़की, चिड़िया). But always verify — exceptions are common.
Rough guide: -आ ending = usually masculine (लड़का, कमरा, दरवाज़ा). -ई/-इया ending = usually feminine (लड़की, चिड़िया). But always verify — exceptions are common.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: मेज़ बड़ा है → Correct: मेज़ बड़ी है. मेज़ is feminine; adjective must agree: बड़ी (fem.), not बड़ा (masc.)
Incorrect: पानी ठंडी है → Correct: पानी ठंडा है. पानी is masculine despite ending in -ई; adjective must be ठंडा (masc.)
Quiz
Which noun is feminine?