Want the numbers? See how reliable every ending is, with the exceptions. For cases, plurals and compound nouns, see the grammar guides.
Der, die and das: how German noun gender works
In German, nouns have one of three gender classifications: masculine, feminine or neuter. Each gender has a specific definite article in the singular form: “der” for masculine nouns, “die” for feminine nouns and “das” for neuter nouns. While native German speakers intuitively know which article to use with each noun, non-native speakers must memorize them. There are some rules and guidelines that can help determine the correct article for certain categories of nouns, but be aware that there are many exceptions.
Please note that these rules only apply to singular nouns. All plural nouns use the definite article “die”.
Masculine nouns: der
By word ending
-er
Approximately 86% of German nouns ending in “-er” are masculine.
Examples: Dezember, Gegner, Kilometer, Mitarbeiter, Schüler, Sommer, Vertreter
Common Exceptions: Alter, Opfer, Theater, Tier, Tochter, Wasser, Zimmer
-en
Approximately 38% of German nouns ending in “-en” are masculine. This means that a significant 62% of nouns ending in "-en" do not follow this rule.
Examples: Boden, Flughafen, Garten, Hafen, Knochen, Morgen, Rücken
Common Exceptions: Brötchen, Essen, Gewissen, Kennzeichen, Kissen, Zeichen
-ig
Approximately 67% of German nouns ending in “-ig” are masculine.
Examples: Essig, Gehsteig, Honig, König
Common Exceptions: Braunschweig, Leipzig, Venedig (most exceptions are place names)
-ling
Approximately 82% of German nouns ending in “-ling” are masculine.
Examples: Flüchtling, Frühling, Lehrling, Schützling
Common Exceptions: Bowling, Controlling, Dribbling, Recycling, Styling (most of which are borrowed from English)
-or
Approximately 93% of German nouns ending in “-or” are masculine.
Examples: Autor, Direktor, Faktor, Korridor, Moderator, Monitor, Motor, Professor
-ismus
All German nouns ending in “-ismus” are masculine.
Examples: Kapitalismus, Mechanismus, Optimismus, Rassismus, Tourismus
Common Exceptions: There are no exceptions to this rule.
-ist
Approximately 97% of German nouns ending in “-ist” are masculine.
Examples: Aktivist, Geist, Journalist, Polizist, Spezialist
Common Exceptions: Frist, Watchlist
By meaning
The definite article “der” is used with the following nouns:
- Masculine persons and professions or roles: Vater, Pilot, Arzt
- Seasons: Frühling, Sommer, Herbst, Winter
- Months: Januar, Juli, Dezember
- Days of the week: Montag, Dienstag, Sonntag
- Precipitations: Regen, Schnee, Hagel
- Car brands: Audi, BMW, Mercedes
- Nouns derived from verbs without a suffix: Gang, Fang
The definite article “der” is mainly used with the following categories of nouns:
- Alcoholic beverages: Cognac, Wein, Whiskey. Exception: das Bier.
- Rivers outside Europe: Amazonas, Mississippi.
- Mountains: Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro. Exception: die Zugspitze.
Feminine nouns: die
By word ending
-ung
Approximately 99% of German nouns ending in “-ung” are feminine. Contrary to popular belief, not every German word ending in "-ung" is feminine.
Examples: Ausstellung, Entscheidung, Entwicklung, Hoffnung, Leistung, Lösung, Meinung, Veranstaltung
Common Exceptions: Vorsprung, Sprung, Kurssprung, Hochsprung, Aufschwung, Ursprung (Most exceptions are words for movement derived from the verbs springen and schwingen)
-e
Approximately 79% of German nouns ending in “-e” are feminine.
Examples: Aufgabe, Bühne, Familie, Frage, Kirche
Common Exceptions: Auge, Ende, Gebäude, Interesse, Hase, Name, Wochenende, Kaffee, Tee
-heit
Approximately 99% of German nouns ending in “-heit” are feminine.
Examples: Gesundheit, Mehrheit, Sicherheit, Vergangenheit
Common Exceptions: Holzscheit, Fahrenheit
-keit
All German nouns ending in “-keit" are feminine.
Examples: Fähigkeit, Möglichkeit, Tätigkeit
Common Exceptions: There are no exceptions to this rule.
-in
Approximately 88% of German nouns ending in “-in” are feminine.
Examples: Schauspielerin, Richterin, Polizistin, Ärztin, Anwältin
Common Exceptions: Verein, Wein, Termin, Stein, Magazin, Benzin
-ei
Approximately 91% of German nouns ending in “-ei” are feminine.
Examples: Datei, Partei, Polizei
Common Exceptions: Papagei, Schrei
-frau
All German nouns ending in “-frau" are feminine.
Common Exceptions: There are no exceptions to this rule.
-schaft
Approximately 95% of German nouns ending in “-schaft” are feminine.
Examples: Gesellschaft, Mannschaft, Wirtschaft
Common Exceptions: Nagelschaft, Turmschaft, Schaft
-ät
Approximately 80% of German nouns ending in “-ät” are feminine.
Examples: Aktivität, Mobilität, Realität, Universität
Common Exceptions: Porträt, Gerät, (and mostly compound nouns with Gerät for example Hörgerät, Messgerät, Navigationsgerät, Sportgerät)
-ik
Approximately 93% of German nouns ending in “-ik” are feminine.
Examples: Grafik, Klinik, Kritik, Musik, Politik, Technik
Common Exceptions: Atlantik, Mosaik, Pazifik, Plastik, Streik
-ion
Approximately 94% of German nouns ending in “-ion” are feminine.
Examples: Aktion, Diskussion, Information, Region
Common Exceptions: Champion, Skorpion, Stadion, Spion
-ie
Approximately 98% of German nouns ending in “-ie” are feminine.
Examples: Chemie, Demokratie, Familie, Fotografie, Galerie, Kopie, Studie, Therapie
Common Exceptions: Genie, Hippie, Knie, Movie, Portemonnaie, Zombie
-ur
Approximately 72% of German nouns ending in “-ur” are feminine.
Examples: Figur, Kultur, Literatur, Reparatur, Temperatur, Tour
Common Exceptions: Abitur, Ingenieur, Friseur, Redakteur, Regisseur (most exceptions are male professions)
-enz
Approximately 97% of German nouns ending in “-enz” are feminine.
Examples: Intelligenz, Konferenz, Konkurrenz
Common Exceptions: Florenz (cities ending with "-enz")
By meaning
The definite article “die” is used with the following nouns:
- Feminine persons and professions or roles: Mutter, Friseurin, Ärztin;
- Motorcycle brands: Harley Davidson, BMW (only motorcycles), Yamaha;
- Planes and ships: Boeing 747, Titanic;
- Cardinal numbers: Eins, Drei.
Additionally, “die” is mainly used with:
- Names of plants and trees: Birke, Rose. However, there are exceptions such as der Ahorn and das Veilchen.
Neuter nouns: das
By word ending
-chen
Approximately 94% of German nouns ending in “-chen” are neuter.
Examples: Anzeichen, Blutkörperchen, Brötchen, Kennzeichen, Mädchen, Zeichen
Common Exceptions: Knochen, Kuchen, Tauchen
-lein
All German nouns ending in “-lein" are neuter.
Examples: Most outdated and considered somewhat derogatory (Fräulein, Männlein) or to indicate smallness (Vöglein, Häuslein)
Common Exceptions: There are no exceptions to this rule.
-ment
Approximately 97% of German nouns ending in “-ment” are neuter.
Examples: Abonnement, Apartment, Dokument, Instrument, Medikament, Parlament
Common Exceptions: Konsument, Komment, Moment, Zement
-nis
Approximately 66% of German nouns ending in “-nis” are neuter.
Examples: Ergebnis, Gefängnis, Geheimnis, Verständnis, Zeugnis
Common Exceptions: Erlaubnis, Kenntnis, Wildnis
-tum
Approximately 98% of German nouns ending in “-tum” are neuter.
Examples: Eigentum, Faktum, Wachstum
Common Exceptions: Irrtum, Reichtum
-um
Approximately 82% of German nouns ending in “-um” are neuter.
Examples: Forum, Gymnasium, Museum, Praktikum, Studium, Visum, Zentrum
Common Exceptions: Baum, Traum, Raum
By meaning
The definite article “das” is used with the following nouns:
- Diminutives (ending in -chen or -lein): Kaninchen, Fräulein;
- Nouns derived from infinitives: Essen, Schreiben;
- Nouns derived from adjectives: Gute, Böse;
- Names of colors: Rot, Gelb, Blau.
Additionally, “das” is mainly used with:
- Almost all known chemical elements are of the neuter gender. However, there are six exceptions: der Sauerstoff, der Schwefel, der Stickstoff, der Wasserstoff, der Kohlenstoff and der Phosphor.
- Names of metals: Blei, Messing, Zinn. However, there are exceptions such as die Bronze and der Stahl;
- Fractions: Drittel(⅓) and Viertel(¼). However, there is an exception such as die Hälfte(½).
Nouns with more than one article
Different meaning, different article
Band (der, die, das)
Band is an example of a word in German that can have different articles depending on its meaning. When it refers to a hardcover book, it is masculine and takes the article “der”. When it refers to a music group, it is feminine and takes the article “die”. When it refers to tape or ribbon, it is neuter and takes the article “das”.
Leiter (der, die)
Leiter is another example of a word in German that can have different articles depending on its meaning. When it refers to a ladder, it is feminine and takes the article “die”. When it refers to a leader or director, it is masculine and takes the article “der”.
Gehalt (der, das)
When “Gehalt” refers to income or salary it is normally neuter and takes the article “das”, but it can also be masculine and take the article “der”. When it refers to content it is always masculine and takes the article “der”.
Regional differences
The use of articles in German can sometimes be a topic of debate and there may be regional differences in usage.