French Gender Rules: How to Know If a Noun Is Masculine or Feminine

The Truth About French Gender

French gender is not completely random — there are clear patterns based on word endings (suffixes) that allow you to predict gender correctly most of the time. Memorise the suffix rules below and you'll eliminate most of your guessing.

Typically Masculine Suffixes

• -age: le voyage, le fromage, le garage (exception: la plage, la cage, l'image)
• -ment: le gouvernement, le moment, le département
• -eau: le gâteau, le chapeau, le bateau (exception: l'eau — feminine!)
• -isme: le tourisme, le capitalisme, le journalisme
• -eur (from a verb): le chanteur, le vendeur, le professeur
• -phone, -scope, -graphe: le téléphone, le microscope, le paragraphe

Typically Feminine Suffixes

• -tion / -sion: la nation, la décision, la passion (nearly 100% reliable)
• -té / -tié: la liberté, la santé, la moitié (exception: le côté, le comité)
• -eur (abstract quality): la douleur, la valeur, la chaleur
• -ure: la culture, la nature, la voiture
• -ette / -elle / -esse: la chaussette, la nouvelle, la princesse
• -ance / -ence: la chance, la différence, la patience

Words That Change Meaning With Gender

Some nouns are both masculine and feminine but carry entirely different meanings — these must be memorised:

• le livre (the book) / la livre (the pound — weight or currency)
• le tour (the tour / turn) / la tour (the tower)
• le mode (the method) / la mode (fashion)
• le poste (the job / TV set) / la poste (the post office)
• le voile (the veil) / la voile (the sail)

Countries and Continents

Countries ending in -e are generally feminine: la France, la Chine, l'Allemagne, la Russie. Countries ending in another letter are generally masculine: le Canada, le Japon, le Maroc, le Portugal. Exceptions: le Mexique, le Cambodge, le Zimbabwe.

The Best Learning Habit

Always learn a noun with its article from day one. Don't learn chat — learn le chat. Don't learn maison — learn la maison. This single habit, applied consistently, is worth more than any rule list.