Hints on a noun’s gender
There is no foolproof way to tell the gender of every noun just by its normal form, but there are some strong patterns. The ones at the top of the tables below have no exceptions.
Masculine Nouns
Group 1 (1st declension) nouns are all masculine. This is a large group of nouns. They end with a broad consonant and form the singular genitive by making the ending slender.
Nouns in the 3rd & 4th declensions can be masculine or feminine. There are a few masculine nouns in the 5th declension.
| Ending | Decl. | Examples | Exceptions (feminine) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -án | 1 | amhrán, cosán | ||
| -(e)adh | 1 | geimhreadh, samhradh | ||
| -éal | 1 | béal, scéal | ||
| -eo | 4 | ceo, treo | ||
| -(i)ú | 4 | athrú, síniú, séimhiú | ||
| -ún | 1 | botún, príosún | ||
| -ús | 1 | folús, parlús | ||
| -amh | 1 | cúnamh, trealamh | fréamh, neamh, screamh | |
| -al | 1 | asal, pobal | coinneal, fabhal, meitheal, speal | |
| -as | 1 | breithiúnas, iarratas | cluas, maitheas, mias | |
| -(e)acht | 3 | ceacht, fuacht [only 1 syllable] |
créacht, léacht, uacht, nuacht | |
| -éar | 1 | féar, páipéar | méar, sméar | |
| -ín | 4 |
cailín, toitín |
aintín, braillín, ealaín, muinín, vacsaín [-ín is just part of word] |
|
| -ste | 4 | coiste, páiste | aiste, timpiste, tubaiste | |
| -úr | 1 | casúr, pictiúr | deirfiúr, siúr | |
| Professions | -(a)ire | 4 | iascaire, ailtire | aire (care), faire, pónaire, trócaire [not professions] |
| -éir | 3 | báicéir, siúinéir | céir, cléir, comhréir, mistéir, spéir | |
| -eoir | 3 | múinteoir, feirmeoir | beoir, deoir, treoir [1 syllable, not professions] |
|
| -óir | 3 | ambasadóir, cúntóir | altóir, catagóir, éagóir, glóir, onóir, purgadóir, seanmóir, tóir | |
| -úir | 3 | saighdiúir, dochtúir | búir, stiúir, úir [1 syllable, not professions] |
|
Feminine Nouns
Largest group is the 2nd declension, which are all feminine. End in a slender or broad consonant. Genitive singular ending in ‑e. Most 5th declension nouns are feminine; the 3rd & 4th declensions are mixed.
| Ending | Decl. | Examples | Exceptions (masculine) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -áid | 2 | earráid, sráid | ||
| -(a)íl | 2, 3 | feadaíl, próifíl | ||
| -(e)áil | 3 | anáil, péinteáil | ||
| -ailt | 2 | fuascailt, oscailt | ||
| -áint | 3 | taispeáint, tiomáint | ||
| -(a)íocht | 3 | iomaíocht, filíocht [more than 1 syllable] |
||
| -(a)irt | 2 | scairt, ardchúirt | ||
| -ilt | 2 | eitilt, míorúilt | ||
| -ip | 2 | cóip, teip | ||
| -irm | 2 | gairm, stoirm | ||
| -úil | 2, 3 | barúil, súil | ||
| -úint | 3 | canúint, géarleanúint | ||
| Countries | 2? | an Astráil, an Fhrainc, an Iodáil | ||
| Rivers | an Bhóinn, an Éirne, an tSionainn | |||
| Languages | an Fhraincis, an Ghaeilge, an Iodáilis | an Béarla [the only exception] | ||
| -(a)int | 3 | seachaint, tuiscint | sáirsint | |
| -chan | 3 | athbheochan, beochan | meáchan | |
| -(e)acht | 3 | gluaiseacht, beannacht [more than 1 syllable] |
ansmacht, bunreacht, comhlacht, complacht, fanacht, gnólacht, imeacht [incl. compounds where base word is masculine: an + smacht] |
|
| -eog/-óg | 2 | spideog, bábóg | dallamullóg | |
| -ic | 2 | fisic, spuaic | cic, clinic, feic, reic, seic, tic | |
| -il | 2 | áibhéil, fidil | raidhfil, saitsil, uncail | |
| -im | 2 | coiscéim, éirim | droim, greim, im | |
| -in | 2 | glúin, síocháin | cliamhain, gamhain | |
| -ine | 4 | glaine, uaine | cine, duine, gine, niúmóine | |
| -is/-ís | 2 | uirlis, coicís | giúistís | |
| -it | 2 | geit, póit | seit | |
| -lann | 2 | bialann, léachtlann | anlann, salann | |
| -óid | 2 | agóid, éabhlóid | biogóid | |
