Ling (Gender): Identifying Masculine-Feminine, Rules and Gender Change — REET Hindi Grammar
This page covers practical rules for identifying gender in Hindi, permanently masculine and permanently feminine words, suffixes used to form the feminine, and a list of commonly confused words. REET 2024 carried 5 ling questions, two of which were based on words used in a passage.
- 5 questions in REET 2024
- Class 1–8 level
- 7 min read
How REET asks this topic
REET 2024 carried 5 ling questions: identifying a word used in the masculine within a passage (आग is feminine; पूँजीपतियों is masculine), 'which word is masculine' (धन — while वस्तु, अग्नि, शक्ति are feminine), 'which word is always masculine' (मनुष्य), and 'the masculine of बहिन' (official answer: बहनोई). In short, REET tests the gender of tatsam words and how gender is actually used in a sentence, far more than rote-memorised pairs.
What is ling, and how do you identify it?
The form of a noun that indicates masculine or feminine is called ling (gender). Sanskrit has three genders — masculine, feminine, neuter — but Hindi has only two, masculine and feminine. That's why even inanimate objects and feelings get assigned one of these two genders in Hindi: 'दही खट्टा है' (masculine), 'चाय ठंडी हो गई' (feminine).
The most reliable test for an inanimate word's gender is how it's used in a sentence. Attach the adjective 'अच्छा/अच्छी' or the verb 'गया/गई' to the word and see which sounds natural: 'आग लगी' (feminine), 'अनाज उगा' (masculine), 'धन मिला' (masculine), 'शक्ति बढ़ी' (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 usage they are treated as feminine ('अग्नि जली', 'आत्मा अमर है'). REET 2024's official key also treated 'अग्नि' as feminine rather than masculine, based on Hindi usage. So base your answer on how the word is actually used in Hindi, not on its Sanskrit gender.
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 are masculine) |
| Days and months — सोमवार, चैत, वैशाख, जनवरी | Tithi (lunar-day) names — प्रतिपदा, एकादशी, पूर्णिमा, अमावस्या |
| Planet names — सूर्य, चंद्रमा, मंगल, शनि (exception: पृथ्वी is feminine) | Languages, dialects and scripts — हिंदी, राजस्थानी, मेवाड़ी, देवनागरी |
| Metals and gems — सोना, लोहा, ताँबा, हीरा, मोती (exception: चाँदी is feminine) | Many words ending in 'ई' — रोटी, नदी, टोपी, चिट्ठी (exceptions: पानी, घी, दही, मोती, हाथी, जी are masculine) |
| Most grain names — गेहूँ, चावल, बाजरा, चना (exceptions: मक्का, ज्वार, अरहर are 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 'mostly' — learn the exception words separately, because most exam questions are built precisely on the exceptions.
Permanently masculine and permanently feminine (some animate nouns)
- Permanently masculine
- मनुष्य, कौआ, उल्लू, खटमल, भेड़िया, गीदड़, पक्षी — to indicate a female, 'मादा' is added first: मादा उल्लू, मादा खटमल
- Permanently feminine
- मक्खी, मछली, कोयल, मैना, चील, छिपकली, गिलहरी, तितली — to indicate a male, 'नर' is added: नर मक्खी, नर कोयल
- Same form in both genders
- राष्ट्रपति, प्रधानमंत्री, डॉक्टर, मंत्री, सचिव — gender is revealed only by the verb: 'राष्ट्रपति आईं', 'मंत्री आए'
- Commonly confused 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
Feminine-forming suffixes and standalone 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 |
| Standalone word | पिता → माता, राजा → रानी, भाई → बहन, बैल → गाय, वर → वधू, ससुर → सास, विद्वान → विदुषी, सम्राट → सम्राज्ञी, साधु → साध्वी |
In the question on the 'masculine of बहिन', 'भाई' wasn't among the options; against भानजा, बहिनों and भाइयों, the official key accepted the relational masculine word 'बहनोई' (a sister's husband) as correct. The standard pair, though, remains 'भाई–बहन'.
How to teach children
Activity: 'the verb will tell you the gender' (Class 3–5)
Give children picture cards of objects (book, pen, tea, milk). Each child says a sentence like 'मेरी किताब अच्छी है' or 'मेरा पेन अच्छा है'. From the 'आ/ई' ending of the verb and adjective, children learn to identify gender on their own.
Activity: match the pairs (Class 1–3)
Picture-pairs of family members and animals — मोर-मोरनी, शेर-शेरनी, दादा-दादी, राजा-रानी. Start orally, then move to writing.
Mind regional dialects
In several Rajasthani dialects, some words are heard with a different gender than standard Hindi. Don't call the child's speech wrong; guide them toward the standard form by saying 'at home we speak it this way, in book-Hindi we write it this way'.
Common misconception
'Every word ending in ई is feminine' — but पानी, घी, दही, हाथी, मोती are all masculine. Fix: turn it into a class competition to find exceptions and build an 'exceptions wall' in the classroom.
Assessment idea
Give fill-in-the-blank sentences — 'दही ___ है (खट्टा/खट्टी)', 'आग ___ (लगा/लगी)' — and have children write the feminine form of 10 masculine words.
Memory trick / exam tip
The 'अच्छा or अच्छी' test: say 'अच्छा/अच्छी' before, or 'गया/गई' after, any word in your head — whichever sounds natural gives you the gender. 'अच्छा धन', 'अच्छी वस्तु', 'आग लगी' — a three-second answer. Don't get confused by a tatsam word's Sanskrit gender; REET asks about Hindi usage.
Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)
Question 32
In the prose passage, the word NOT used in the masculine (Pulling) gender form is
- Aदु:ख
- Bअनाज
- Cआग
- Dप्राणी
Explanation
‘आग’ स्त्रीलिंग शब्द है (जैसे — आग लगी)। ‘दु:ख’, ‘अनाज’ और ‘प्राणी’ पुल्लिंग रूप में प्रयुक्त होते हैं (जैसे — दु:ख नहीं रहा, अनाज उगाने लगा, विचरने वाला प्राणी था)। इसलिए पुल्लिंग न होने वाला शब्द ‘आग’ है।
Question 41
Which of the following words has been used in the masculine gender (पुल्लिंग) form in the prose excerpt (गद्यांश)? –
- Aसमृद्धि
- Bसुविधाएँ
- Cयात्रा
- Dपूँजीपतियों
Explanation
गद्यांश में ‘बड़े-बड़े पूँजीपतियों को’ में ‘पूँजीपति’ पुल्लिंग रूप में प्रयुक्त है (‘बड़े-बड़े’ विशेषण पुल्लिंग है)। ‘समृद्धि’, ‘सुविधाएँ’ (‘मिलने लगी हैं’) और ‘यात्रा’ स्त्रीलिंग शब्द हैं।
Question 47
The masculine (Pulling) form of 'बहिन' (sister) will be
- Aभानजा
- Bबहिनों
- Cबहनोई
- Dभाइयों
Explanation
‘बहिन’ के पति को ‘बहनोई’ कहते हैं, इसलिए पुल्लिंग रूप के रूप में ‘बहनोई’ स्वीकार किया गया है। ‘भानजा’ बहन का पुत्र है, जबकि ‘बहिनों’ और ‘भाइयों’ बहुवचन रूप हैं, लिंग-परिवर्तन नहीं।
Question 50
Among the following, the masculine (पुल्लिंग) word is
- Aवस्तु
- Bधन
- Cअग्नि
- Dशक्ति
Explanation
‘धन’ पुल्लिंग शब्द है (धन कमाया जाता है, धन खर्च हो गया)। ‘वस्तु’, ‘अग्नि’ और ‘शक्ति’ हिन्दी में स्त्रीलिंग रूप में प्रयुक्त होते हैं (अग्नि जलती है, शक्ति बढ़ी)।
Question 84
The word always used in the masculine (पुल्लिंग) form is
- Aमनुष्य
- Bभाषा
- Cउपज
- Dमनोवृत्ति
Explanation
‘मनुष्य’ शब्द सदैव पुल्लिंग के रूप में प्रयुक्त होता है (मनुष्य अकेला रहता है)। ‘भाषा’, ‘उपज’ और ‘मनोवृत्ति’ स्त्रीलिंग शब्द हैं (भाषा अच्छी है, उपज बढ़ी)।
Practice questions
Question 1
Which of the following is a streeling (feminine) word —
- Aदही
- Bमोती
- Cपुस्तक
- Dपानी
Explanation
'पुस्तक' is feminine (अच्छी पुस्तक). दही, मोती and पानी are all masculine despite ending in 'ई'.
Question 2
The feminine (streeling) form of 'विद्वान' is —
- Aविद्वानी
- Bविदुषी
- Cविद्वती
- Dविद्वाना
Explanation
The feminine of 'विद्वान' is the standalone word 'विदुषी'.
Question 3
Which word is always (nitya) streeling (feminine)?
- Aकौआ
- Bखटमल
- Cकोयल
- Dउल्लू
Explanation
'कोयल' is always used in the feminine; for the male, 'नर कोयल' is said. कौआ, खटमल and उल्लू are permanently masculine.
Question 4
The feminine (streeling) form of 'नेता' is —
- Aनेतानी
- Bनेत्री
- Cनेताइन
- Dनेतिका
Explanation
The suffix 'त्री' gives the feminine 'नेत्री' from 'नेता', just as दाता → दात्री.
Question 5
In which option are all the words pulling (masculine)?
- Aहिमालय, सोमवार, सोना
- Bगंगा, सोमवार, सोना
- Cहिमालय, हिंदी, सोना
- Dहिमालय, सोमवार, चाँदी
Explanation
हिमालय, सोमवार, सोना are all masculine. गंगा (a river), हिंदी (a language) and चाँदी (an exception metal) are feminine.
Question 6
The feminine (streeling) form of the word 'ठाकुर' is —
- Aठाकुरानी
- Bठकुराइन
- Cठाकुरिन
- Dठकुरिया
Explanation
The suffix 'आइन' gives ठाकुर → ठकुराइन, just as पंडित → पंडिताइन.
Question 7
Which sentence is correct from the point of view of gender (ling)?
- Aआग लग गया।
- Bउसकी आत्मा बहुत दुखी हुआ।
- Cअनाज की फ़सल अच्छी हुई।
- Dमेरा पुस्तक खो गया।
Explanation
'फ़सल' is feminine, so 'अच्छी हुई' is correct. आग, आत्मा and पुस्तक are all feminine, so the other sentences should correctly read 'लग गई', 'दुखी हुई' and 'मेरी पुस्तक खो गई'.
Question 8
'भक्ति, शक्ति, संस्कृति' — these words all belong to which gender (ling), and why?
- Aपुल्लिंग, क्योंकि तत्सम हैं
- Bस्त्रीलिंग, क्योंकि 'ति' से अंत होने वाले तत्सम शब्द प्रायः स्त्रीलिंग होते हैं
- Cपुल्लिंग, क्योंकि भाववाचक हैं
- Dस्त्रीलिंग, क्योंकि ये प्राणिवाचक हैं
Explanation
Tatsam words ending in 'इ/ति' are usually feminine in Hindi — भक्ति, शक्ति, संस्कृति, रीति. They aren't animate nouns.
Question 9
'राष्ट्रपति ने भाषण दिया।' — how will the gender of 'राष्ट्रपति' be determined from this sentence?
- Aयह शब्द सदा पुल्लिंग है
- Bयह शब्द सदा स्त्रीलिंग है
- Cइस वाक्य से लिंग निश्चित नहीं होता; 'आए/आईं' जैसी क्रिया से होगा
- D'ने' विभक्ति से लिंग तय होता है
Explanation
'राष्ट्रपति' is used for both genders. Since the verb here simply agrees with the object ('भाषण'), gender isn't revealed by this sentence — it would show up in a sentence like 'राष्ट्रपति आईं'.
Question 10
A Class 4 child, influenced by the Rajasthani dialect, speaks the gender of a word differently from standard Hindi. The teacher should —
- Aकक्षा के सामने उसे टोककर शर्मिंदा करे
- Bबोली का सम्मान करते हुए मानक हिंदी रूप का प्रयोग सार्थक वाक्यों में बार-बार कराए
- Cबोली बोलने पर दंड दे
- Dमानक रूप सिखाना छोड़ दे
Explanation
Respecting the child's home dialect while also giving repeated, meaningful practice with the standard Hindi form should happen together. Correcting the child publicly or punishing them only builds hesitation.
Frequently asked questions
How many ling questions come in REET?+
REET 2024 carried 5 ling questions across Hindi Language I and II — identifying masculine words, passage-based usage, and gender change.
How many genders does Hindi have?+
Hindi has two genders — masculine and feminine. Sanskrit also has a third, neuter gender.
What is the gender of 'आग' and 'धन'?+
'आग' is feminine (आग लगी), while 'धन' is masculine (धन मिला).
What are permanently masculine words?+
Words for creatures that are always used in the masculine, requiring 'मादा' to be added for the female — such as मनुष्य, कौआ, उल्लू, खटमल.
What's the feminine of 'कवि'?+
The feminine of 'कवि' is 'कवयित्री'.
Read next
Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked