Gender, Number and Person
Gender, Number and Person
This topic supplies one to two questions and they usually ask for a feminine form or a plural. Gender in Hindi is not decided on fully logical grounds, so the exceptions have to be learnt along with the rules — and it is the exceptions that questions are built on.
Gender
Hindi has only two genders — masculine and feminine. The neuter gender of Sanskrit does not operate in Hindi, and that fact is itself asked as a question.
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| ending in आ, आव, पन, पा — masculine | मोटापा, बहाव, बचपन |
| ending in ई, इया, आई, आवट — feminine | लड़की, डिबिया, चढ़ाई, सजावट |
| names of rivers — usually feminine | गंगा, यमुना, सरस्वती |
| names of mountains — masculine | हिमालय, विंध्य |
| names of planets — masculine | सूर्य, चंद्र, मंगल |
The exceptions matter more than the rules. सिंधु and ब्रह्मपुत्र are rivers yet masculine, and दही, मोती and पानी end in ई yet are masculine. Questions are drawn from precisely these.
✗ ब्रह्मपुत्र is feminine because it is a river | ✓ It is masculine, and along with सिंधु it is the standard exception
Forming the Feminine
- ई — लड़का to लड़की, घोड़ा to घोड़ी.
- इन — धोबी to धोबिन, माली to मालिन.
- आनी — देवर to देवरानी, जेठ to जेठानी.
- इया — बेटा to बिटिया, डिब्बा to डिबिया.
- आइन — ठाकुर to ठकुराइन, पंडित to पंडिताइन.
Some words take an entirely different feminine form — राजा to रानी, पिता to माता, विद्वान to विदुषी, and कवि to कवयित्री. The last two are asked most often of all.
Number and Person
Hindi has two numbers, singular and plural. In a masculine word ending in आ, the आ becomes ए, as लड़का gives लड़के; in a feminine word ending in आ, एँ is added, as माता gives माताएँ.
| Person | Pronouns |
|---|---|
| First | मैं, हम |
| Second | तू, तुम, आप |
| Third | वह, वे, यह, ये |
आसान नियम: बहुवचन बनाते समय पहले लिंग देखिए। पुल्लिंग आकारांत में आ का ए, स्त्रीलिंग आकारांत में एँ, और ई से अंत होने वाले स्त्रीलिंग में इयाँ — लड़की से लड़कियाँ।
TRE pointer: The exceptions are what get asked — सिंधु and ब्रह्मपुत्र masculine, दही and मोती masculine. विदुषी and कवयित्री are near certainties. For plurals, check the gender first and the final vowel second. That Hindi has no neuter gender is also asked directly.
60-Second Recap
- Hindi has only two genders, masculine and feminine.
- Words ending in आ, आव, पन are masculine; ई, इया, आवट are feminine.
- सिंधु and ब्रह्मपुत्र are rivers but masculine.
- The feminine of विद्वान is विदुषी and of कवि is कवयित्री.
- Masculine आ becomes ए and feminine आ takes एँ in the plural.
- There are three persons — first, second and third.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many genders does Hindi have?
Only two — masculine and feminine. Sanskrit has a third, the neuter, but Hindi did not adopt it. The question is asked directly and three is placed among the options, so the answer needs to be held firmly rather than reasoned out in the hall.
What are the feminine forms of विद्वान and कवि?
विदुषी and कवयित्री. Both words came into Hindi from Sanskrit, so they do not take an ordinary suffix; the form itself changes. Both are asked repeatedly, which makes them worth learning separately from the regular suffix rules.
If river names are feminine, why is सिंधु masculine?
Because gender in Hindi rests partly on usage and tradition rather than on sense alone. सिंधु and ब्रह्मपुत्र are the standard exceptions to the river rule, and for that very reason questions are set from them rather than from ordinary river names.
What is the general rule for forming a plural?
Check the gender first and then the final vowel. A masculine word ending in आ changes आ to ए, as लड़का gives लड़के. A feminine word ending in आ takes एँ, as माता gives माताएँ. A feminine word ending in ई takes इयाँ, as लड़की gives लड़कियाँ.