A0 Noun Gender 7 min read Fácil

Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?

Look at the last letter: Consonant = Masc, A/Ya = Fem, O/Ye = Neuter. Biology always wins.
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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Russian nouns have three genders—Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter—determined primarily by their final letter.

  • Masculine nouns end in a consonant (e.g., 'дом').
  • Feminine nouns usually end in '-а' or '-я' (e.g., 'мама').
  • Neuter nouns usually end in '-о' or '-е' (e.g., 'окно').
Noun + Last Letter = Gender (♂️, ♀️, ⚧️)

Overview

Já se perguntou por que o seu café da manhã é 'ele', mas a sua pizza é 'ela' em russo?...

How This Grammar Works

Em russo, o género de um substantivo é quase sempre determinado pela sua terminação...

Formation Pattern

1
Substantivos masculinos: Estas são as terminações 'fortes'...

When To Use It

Usa esta regra sempre que nomeia um objeto...

Common Mistakes

O maior erro é ignorar a terminação...

Contrast With Similar Patterns

O inglês é o irmão fácil aqui...

Quick FAQ

P: Todos os substantivos têm género? R: Sim...

Noun Gender Endings

Gender Ending Example Translation
Masculine
Consonant
Стол
Table
Feminine
-а
Книга
Book
Feminine
-я
Неделя
Week
Neuter
-о
Окно
Window
Neuter
-е
Поле
Field
Common
-ь
День/Ночь
Day/Night

Meanings

Russian nouns are categorized into three genders, which dictate how adjectives and verbs must agree with them.

1

Standard Noun Gender

The inherent grammatical gender of a noun based on its ending.

“Стол (Masculine)”

“Книга (Feminine)”

Reference Table

Reference table for Género dos substantivos russos: Ele, Ela ou Neutro?
Gender Typical Endings Example Word Translation
Masculine
Consonant, -й, -ь
Борщ
Borscht
Feminine
-а, -я, -ь
Москва
Moscow
Neuter
-о, -е
Вино
Wine
Masculine (Person)
-а, -я
Папа
Dad
Masculine
-й
Чай
Tea
Feminine
-я
Россия
Russia
Neuter
-е
Море
Sea
Masculine
Consonant
Спорт
Sport

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Это мой дом.

Это мой дом. (General)

Neutro
Это мой дом.

Это мой дом. (General)

Informal
Это мой дом.

Это мой дом. (General)

Gíria
Это мой хаус.

Это мой хаус. (General)

Russian Noun Gender Map

Существительное

Masculine (Он)

  • Паспорт Passport
  • Чай Tea

Feminine (Она)

  • Газета Newspaper
  • Россия Russia

Neuter (Оно)

  • Вино Wine
  • Море Sea

The 'Ending' Cheat Sheet

Masculine
-Consonant стол
-й трамвай
Feminine
-а мама
-я кухня
Neuter
-о окно
-е здание

How to Decide Gender

1

Does it refer to a male person?

YES
Masculine
NO
Check ending
2

Does it end in -А or -Я?

YES
Feminine
NO
Check for -О or -Е
3

Does it end in -О or -Е?

YES
Neuter
NO ↓

Gender in Real Life

📱

Tech (Masc)

  • • Телефон
  • • Компьютер
  • • Ноутбук
🍕

Food (Fem)

  • • Пицца
  • • Паста
  • • Кола
📺

Media (Neuter)

  • • Видео
  • • Радио
  • • Шоу
Cadastre-se grátis para ler a explicação completa

Exemplos por nível

1

Это мой стол.

This is my table.

2

Это моя книга.

This is my book.

3

Это моё окно.

This is my window.

4

Папа дома.

Dad is home.

1

Большой город.

A big city.

2

Красивая машина.

A beautiful car.

3

Интересное кино.

An interesting movie.

4

Маленький мальчик.

A small boy.

1

Мой день был долгим.

My day was long.

2

Ночь была тёмной.

The night was dark.

3

Здание очень высокое.

The building is very tall.

4

Моя семья большая.

My family is big.

1

Этот старый дом требует ремонта.

This old house requires repair.

2

Она купила новую машину.

She bought a new car.

3

Это было прекрасное решение.

It was a wonderful decision.

4

Мой коллега очень умный.

My colleague is very smart.

1

Неожиданное событие изменило всё.

An unexpected event changed everything.

2

Её профессиональная деятельность впечатляет.

Her professional activity is impressive.

3

Этот древний город полон тайн.

This ancient city is full of secrets.

4

Счастье — это выбор.

Happiness is a choice.

1

Истинное величие заключается в простоте.

True greatness lies in simplicity.

2

Его манера говорить была странной.

His manner of speaking was strange.

3

Это было единственное верное решение.

It was the only correct decision.

4

Тень упала на землю.

The shadow fell on the ground.

Fácil de confundir

Russian Noun Gender: He, She, or It? vs Masculine vs. Feminine -а

Learners see -а and think feminine, but 'папа' is masculine.

Russian Noun Gender: He, She, or It? vs Soft sign M vs. F

Both end in -ь.

Russian Noun Gender: He, She, or It? vs Neuter -о vs. Masculine -о

Rare, but some names end in -о.

Erros comuns

✗

Мой мама

✓

Моя мама

Mama ends in -а, so it is feminine.
✗

Красивый книга

✓

Красивая книга

Adjective must match feminine noun.
✗

Это мой окно

✓

Это моё окно

Window ends in -о, so it is neuter.
✗

Папа хороший

✓

Папа хороший

Wait, this is correct! But learners often think it's wrong because of the -а.
✗

День — это женский род

✓

День — это мужской род

Soft sign nouns need memorization.
✗

Ночь — это мужской род

✓

Ночь — это женский род

Night is feminine.
✗

Моё стол

✓

Мой стол

Table is masculine.
✗

Кофе — это средний род

✓

Кофе — это мужской род

Coffee is an exception.
✗

Здание — это женский род

✓

Здание — это средний род

Ends in -е.
✗

Имя — это женский род

✓

Имя — это средний род

Nouns ending in -мя are neuter.
✗

Метро — это мужской род

✓

Метро — это средний род

Indeclinable loanwords are neuter.
✗

Такси — это женский род

✓

Такси — это средний род

Indeclinable loanwords are neuter.
✗

Шампунь — это женский род

✓

Шампунь — это мужской род

Shampoo is masculine.

Padrões de frases

Это ___.

Мой/Моя/Моё ___.

___ очень красивый/красивая/красивое.

Я купил ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Мой друг пришёл.

Social Media very common

Моя новая машина!

Job Interview common

Мой опыт работы.

Travel common

Где мой отель?

Food Delivery common

Моё блюдо готово.

Email formal

Моё предложение.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

The Soft Sign Rule

If a word ends in 'ь', look it up immediately. Don't guess. Write it down with 'он' (he) or 'она' (she) to remember.
⚠️

Beware of Coffee!

Even though 'кофе' ends in 'е', it is masculine. Calling it neuter is a common mistake even for some natives, but learners should stick to masculine.
🎯

Biological Override

Always check if the word is a person. 'Папа' (Dad), 'Дядя' (Uncle), and 'Дедушка' (Grandpa) all end in -а, but they are 100% masculine.

Smart Tips

Always learn the noun with 'мой/моя/моё'.

Learn 'стол'. → Learn 'мой стол'.

Assume feminine unless it's a man.

Is 'школа' M or F? → 'Школа' ends in -а, so it's F.

Assume neuter.

Is 'окно' M or N? → 'Окно' ends in -о, so it's N.

Check a dictionary.

Is 'день' M or F? → Check: 'день' is M.

Pronúncia

d'en'

Soft sign

The soft sign 'ь' makes the preceding consonant soft.

Statement

Это дом. ↘

Falling intonation for facts.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Consonants are strong (Masculine), 'A' is for 'Aunt' (Feminine), 'O' is for 'Oh' (Neuter).

Associação visual

Imagine a man standing by a stone wall (Consonant), a woman holding an apple (A), and a baby in a cradle (O).

Rhyme

Consonant is he, A is she, O is it for you and me.

Story

Ivan (Masculine) sits at a table. Anna (Feminine) reads a book. They look out the window (Neuter) together.

Word Web

СтолКнигаОкноМамаПапаДеньНочь

Desafio

Label 5 items in your room with their gender today.

Notas culturais

Gender is strictly grammatical, not biological. 'Папа' (Dad) is feminine by grammar.

Russian inherited its gender system from Proto-Indo-European.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Какой это род?

“

Это твоя книга?

“

Где твой дом?

“

Что ты думаешь об этом решении?

Temas para diário

List 5 items in your bag and their gender.
Describe your room.
Write about your day.
Discuss a recent decision.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

What is the gender of the word 'студент' (student)? Múltipla escolha

Choose the correct gender for 'студент':

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Masculine
It ends in the consonant 'т', which makes it masculine.
Identify the gender of 'окно' (window).

The word 'окно' is ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neuter
Words ending in 'о' are neuter.
Find the mistake in this sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Мой пицца вкусная.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Моя пицца вкусная.
'Пицца' is feminine, so 'my' must be 'моя'.

Score: /3

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the correct gender.

Это ___ стол (мой/моя).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: мой
Стол is masculine.
Choose the correct gender. Múltipla escolha

Книга — это...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Feminine
Ends in -а.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Моя дом большой.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мой дом большой
Дом is masculine.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

окно / моё / большое

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Моё окно большое
Neuter agreement.
Match the adjective. Conjugation Drill

___ машина (красивый/красивая/красивое)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: красивая
Машина is feminine.
Match noun to gender. Match Pairs

Стол, Книга, Окно

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: M, F, N
Correct order.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

— Это твой телефон? — Да, это ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: мой
Телефон is masculine.
Change to feminine. Sentence Transformation

Мой друг (friend).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Моя подруга
Friend becomes feminine.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Match the noun to its gender. Match Pairs

Match the following:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Борщ : Masculine, Водка : Feminine, Пиво : Neuter, Музей : Masculine
Which of these is a feminine noun? Múltipla escolha

Pick the feminine noun:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Сестра (Sister)
Complete the rule. Preencher as lacunas

Nouns ending in -е are usually ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neuter
Put the words in order. Sentence Reorder

Order: [холодное] [пиво] [это]

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это холодное пиво.
Translate to Russian. Tradução

My dad (masculine possessive + noun)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мой папа
Correct the gender. Error Correction

Это хорошее фильм.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Это хороший фильм.
What is the ending for a feminine noun? Preencher as lacunas

Most feminine nouns end in ___ or -я.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -а
Identify the neuter noun. Múltipla escolha

Which one is neuter?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Утро (Morning)
Match the modern word to its gender. Match Pairs

Match these digital terms:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Сайт : Masculine, Ссылка : Feminine, Сообщение : Neuter, Блог : Masculine
Translate: 'Big city' Tradução

Big city (Город = city)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Большой город

Score: /10

Perguntas frequentes (8)

It ends in -а, which is the feminine marker. Grammatical gender is about form, not biology.

You have to memorize it. 'День' is M, 'ночь' is F.

Yes, it is traditionally masculine.

They are usually neuter if they end in a vowel.

Yes, but focus on singular first.

Yes, 90% of the time the ending tells you.

Because adjectives and verbs must agree with the noun.

Yes, but they are few.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Cadastre-se grátis para praticar

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

el/la

Russian has a neuter gender; Spanish does not.

French moderate

le/la

Russian gender is more predictable via endings.

German high

der/die/das

German gender is often harder to guess from endings.

Japanese none

none

Russian requires gender agreement for every noun.

Arabic partial

masculine/feminine

Russian neuter is a distinct category.

Chinese none

none

Russian is highly inflected.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Substantivos animados vs. inanimados (Animacidade)

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