Gender (Ling) — Patwari Notes
This page gives practical rules for identifying gender in Hindi, lists of permanently masculine and permanently feminine words, the suffixes used to form the feminine, and a list of commonly confused words.
- Class 1–8 level
- 7 min read
What is Ling (gender), and how do you identify it?
The form of a noun that indicates the male or female class is called ling (gender). Sanskrit has three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), but Hindi has only two — masculine and feminine. So even non-living things and abstract feelings are assigned one of these two genders in Hindi: 'दही खट्टा है' ('curd is sour' — masculine), 'चाय ठंडी हो गई' ('the tea went cold' — feminine).
The most reliable test for the gender of a non-living noun is its use in a sentence. Try attaching the adjective 'अच्छा/अच्छी' or the verb 'गया/गई' to it: 'आग लगी' (fire — feminine), 'अनाज उगा' (grain — masculine), 'धन मिला' (wealth — masculine), 'शक्ति बढ़ी' (strength — feminine). In passage-based questions, the passage's own verbs and adjectives give away the answer — in 'बड़े-बड़े पूँजीपतियों', 'बड़े' is a masculine adjective.
Many tatsam words borrowed from Sanskrit have changed gender in Hindi. In Sanskrit, 'अग्नि' and 'आत्मा' are masculine, but in Hindi they are used as feminine ('अग्नि जली' — the fire burned; 'आत्मा अमर है' — the soul is immortal). In Hindi usage, 'अग्नि' is treated as feminine despite its masculine form in Sanskrit. So base your answer on how the word is used in Hindi sentences, not on its Sanskrit form.
Rules for identifying masculine and feminine
| Usually masculine | Usually feminine |
|---|---|
| Mountains, oceans, country names — हिमालय, अरावली, हिंद महासागर, भारत | River names — गंगा, चंबल, लूणी, बनास (exceptions: ब्रह्मपुत्र, सिंधु, सोन — masculine) |
| Days and months — सोमवार, चैत, वैशाख, जनवरी | Lunar dates — प्रतिपदा, एकादशी, पूर्णिमा, अमावस्या |
| Planet names — सूर्य, चंद्रमा, मंगल, शनि (exception: पृथ्वी — feminine) | Languages, dialects, and scripts — हिंदी, राजस्थानी, मेवाड़ी, देवनागरी |
| Metals and gems — सोना, लोहा, ताँबा, हीरा, मोती (exception: चाँदी — feminine) | Many words ending in 'ई' — रोटी, नदी, टोपी, चिट्ठी (exceptions: पानी, घी, दही, मोती, हाथी, जी — masculine) |
| Most grain names — गेहूँ, चावल, बाजरा, चना (exceptions: मक्का, ज्वार, अरहर — feminine) | Words with the suffix 'ता, इमा, आई, आवट, आहट, आस, नी' — सुंदरता, लालिमा, पढ़ाई, सजावट, घबराहट, मिठास, कहानी |
| Words with the suffix 'त्व, पन, पा, आव, आवा' — महत्त्व, बचपन, बुढ़ापा, बहाव, बुलावा | Tatsam words ending in 'इ' and 'ति' — रीति, शक्ति, भक्ति, संस्कृति, समृद्धि, बुद्धि |
These rules apply 'usually'; memorise the exceptions separately, since most exam questions are built around exactly those exceptions.
Permanently masculine and permanently feminine words (for some animal/living-being names)
- Permanently masculine
- मनुष्य, कौआ, उल्लू, खटमल, भेड़िया, गीदड़, पक्षी — to indicate the female, 'मादा' is added in front: मादा उल्लू, मादा खटमल
- Permanently feminine
- मक्खी, मछली, कोयल, मैना, चील, छिपकली, गिलहरी, तितली — to indicate the male, 'नर' is added: नर मक्खी, नर कोयल
- Same form in both genders
- राष्ट्रपति, प्रधानमंत्री, डॉक्टर, मंत्री, सचिव — the gender is told by the verb: 'राष्ट्रपति आईं' (feminine), 'मंत्री आए' (masculine)
- Confusing words (by Hindi usage)
- Masculine: धन, अनाज, दुःख, प्राणी, दही, पानी, हाथी, मोती, सामान, दर्शन; Feminine: आग, अग्नि, वस्तु, आत्मा, पुस्तक, सड़क, दाल, चाय, यात्रा, सुविधा
Suffixes for forming the feminine, and independent word pairs
| Suffix / type | Examples (masculine → feminine) |
|---|---|
| ई | लड़का → लड़की, देव → देवी, नाना → नानी, पुत्र → पुत्री |
| इया | बूढ़ा → बुढ़िया, चूहा → चुहिया, बेटा → बिटिया, कुत्ता → कुतिया |
| इन | धोबी → धोबिन, माली → मालिन, सुनार → सुनारिन |
| नी | मोर → मोरनी, शेर → शेरनी, ऊँट → ऊँटनी |
| आनी | सेठ → सेठानी, देवर → देवरानी, नौकर → नौकरानी, इंद्र → इंद्राणी |
| आइन | ठाकुर → ठकुराइन, पंडित → पंडिताइन, चौधरी → चौधराइन |
| आ | छात्र → छात्रा, सुत → सुता, प्रिय → प्रिया, बाल → बाला |
| इका | बालक → बालिका, लेखक → लेखिका, अध्यापक → अध्यापिका |
| वती / मती | गुणवान → गुणवती, बुद्धिमान → बुद्धिमती, श्रीमान → श्रीमती |
| त्री | कवि → कवयित्री, नेता → नेत्री, दाता → दात्री |
| Independent (unrelated) word | पिता → माता, राजा → रानी, भाई → बहन, बैल → गाय, वर → वधू, ससुर → सास, विद्वान → विदुषी, सम्राट → सम्राज्ञी, साधु → साध्वी |
Note: the usual counterpart of 'बहिन' (sister) is considered 'भाई' (brother), but the relational word 'बहनोई' (sister's husband) is also a valid masculine form — exam questions can test this distinction.
Memory trick / exam tip
The 'अच्छा or अच्छी' test: say in your head 'अच्छा/अच्छी' before any word, or 'गया/गई' after it — whichever sounds natural gives you the gender. 'अच्छा धन', 'अच्छी वस्तु', 'आग लगी' — answered in three seconds. Don't be misled by a tatsam word's Sanskrit gender; the exam asks about Hindi usage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many genders does Hindi have?+
Hindi has two genders — masculine and feminine. Sanskrit also has a third, neuter.
What gender are 'आग' and 'धन'?+
'आग' (fire) is feminine (आग लगी), while 'धन' (wealth) is masculine (धन मिला).
What are 'permanently masculine' words?+
Animal/living-being names always used in the masculine, requiring 'मादा' to be added for the female form — such as मनुष्य, कौआ, उल्लू, खटमल.
What is the feminine of 'कवि'?+
The feminine of 'कवि' (poet) is 'कवयित्री'.