In Arabic, nouns and adjectives are classified as either masculine (المذكر) or feminine (المونث). This classification affects how words are used and conjugated within sentences.
Masculine (المذكر):
- Masculine nouns and adjectives are considered the default form in Arabic.
- They do not have any special markers or endings.
- Example: مُعَلِّم (Mu’allim) meaning “Teacher (male)”
Feminine (المونث):
- Feminine nouns and adjectives often have a special marker at the end of the word.
- The most common marker is the “taa’ marbuta” (ة) or (ـة).
- Example: مُعَلِّمَة (Mu’allimah) meaning “Teacher (female)”
Here are some more examples to illustrate masculine and feminine in Arabic:
Masculine: طالب (Talib) meaning “Student (male)” Feminine: طالبة (Talibah) meaning “Student (female)”
Masculine: مهندس (Muhandis) meaning “Engineer (male)” Feminine: مهندسة (Muhandisah) meaning “Engineer (female)”
Masculine: كاتب (Katib) meaning “Writer (male)” Feminine: كاتبة (Katibah) meaning “Writer (female)”
Masculine: طبيب (Tabib) meaning “Doctor (male)” Feminine: طبيبة (Tabibah) meaning “Doctor (female)”
Masculine: مدير (Mudir) meaning “Manager (male)” Feminine: مديرة (Mudirah) meaning “Manager (female)”
In some cases, the feminine form of a noun may be completely different from its masculine counterpart, and not just a matter of adding a marker. For example:
- Masculine: أخ (Akh) meaning “Brother”
- Feminine: أخت (Ukht) meaning “Sister”
Additionally, verbs and pronouns in Arabic also change according to the gender of the noun or subject they are related to.