Noun gender & number
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In short
Every Ukrainian noun has one of three genders - masculine (чолові́чий), feminine (жіно́чий) or neuter (сере́дній) - and you can guess it almost always from the last letter of the word in its dictionary (nominative singular) form. There are no articles: there is no word for “a” or “the”, so кни́га on its own means both “a book” and “the book”. You also read the ending to tell singular from plural: стіл is one table, столи́ is several. Learn to scan the ending, and most of a noun’s grammar falls into place.
The rule
No articles. English marks a noun with “a/an” or “the”; Ukrainian marks it with nothing. Definiteness comes from context and word order, not from a separate little word. So do not look for one, and do not add one.
Gender lives in the ending. In the nominative singular:
- a noun ending in a consonant (or -й) is normally masculine: стіл, брат, край, оліве́ць;
- a noun ending in -а / -я is normally feminine: кни́га, вода́, земля́, пі́сня;
- a noun ending in -о / -е is neuter: вікно́, мо́ре, село́;
- two more neuter groups end in -я: a large everyday class whose nominative plural is identical to the singular (завда́ння, подві́р’я, обли́ччя — одне́ завда́ння -> два завда́ння; every noun in -ання / -ення is one), and a small group that grows an extra syllable in other cases: ім’я́ (of the “-м’я” type), теля́ (a young-being noun).
A noun can also end with no vowel at all — either in -ь, which hides masculines (день, кінь) and feminines (сіль, тінь, ра́дість), or in a bare consonant, which is usually masculine (стіл, брат) but covers a small feminine set you must simply learn (ніч, любо́в, по́дорож). A reliable sub-rule: abstract nouns in -ість are always feminine (ра́дість, мо́лодість).
Number lives in the ending too. To make a plural, masculine and feminine nouns take -и / -і / -ї (стіл -> столи́, кни́га -> кни́ги, край -> краї́); neuter -о / -е switch to -а (вікно́ -> ві́кна, мо́ре -> моря́). The stress very often jumps when the number changes (рука́ -> ру́ки, село́ -> се́ла) - that shift is normal and worth noticing early.
Typical exceptions. Gender follows the ending, except when it follows the person: nouns naming males stay masculine even with a “neuter-” or “feminine-looking” ending - та́то, дя́дько, Мико́ла. Watch соба́ка (“dog”): in Ukrainian it is masculine (мій соба́ка), unlike its Russian look-alike. And borrowed words like кіно́, метро́, таксі́ are neuter and never change - same form in singular and plural.
Forms & patterns
Gender by ending (nominative singular):
| Gender | Typical endings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (він) | consonant, -й, -ь | стіл, край, день |
| Feminine (вона) | -а, -я, -ь | кни́га, земля́, сіль |
| Neuter (воно) | -о, -е, -я | вікно́, мо́ре, завда́ння, ім’я́ |
Singular -> plural (notice how the stress often moves):
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| masc | стіл | столи́ |
| masc | край | краї́ |
| masc | день | дні |
| fem | кни́га | кни́ги |
| fem | рука́ | ру́ки |
| fem | ніч | но́чі |
| neut | вікно́ | ві́кна |
| neut | мо́ре | моря́ |
| neut | завда́ння | завда́ння |
Examples
| Українська | English |
|---|---|
| Стіл стої́ть у кімна́ті. | The table is in the room. |
| На столі́ лежа́ть дві кни́ги. | Two books are lying on the table. |
| Вікно́ вели́ке і сві́тле. | The window is big and bright. |
| Ві́кна вихо́дять у сад. | The windows look out onto the garden. |
| Моя́ сестра́ живе́ в Ки́єві. | My sister lives in Kyiv. |
| Його́ брат працю́є вдо́ма. | His brother works at home. |
| Ніч була́ ти́ха. | The night was quiet. |
| У ме́не є нови́й оліве́ць. | I have a new pencil. |
| Мо́ре сього́дні спокі́йне. | The sea is calm today. |
| Соба́ка біжи́ть по ву́лиці. | The dog runs down the street. |
| Як твоє́ ім’я́? | What is your name? |
| Столи́ в кла́сі нові́. | The tables in the classroom are new. |
Common mistakes
- the кни́га is on the table -> кни́га на столі́ - Ukrainian has no articles; delete “a/an/the”.
- це моє́ та́то (treating -о as neuter) -> це мій та́то - male-naming nouns are masculine whatever the ending.
- моя́ соба́ка (Russian-style feminine) -> мій соба́ка - “dog” is masculine in Ukrainian.
- кни́гы -> кни́ги - Ukrainian has no letter ы; the plural ending is -и.
- ніч used as masculine -> ніч is feminine - soft-sign nouns split by gender; ніч, сіль, тінь are feminine, день, кінь masculine.
- вікни́ -> ві́кна - neuter -о/-е go to -а in the plural, never to -и.
- два таксі́ -> two “таксі́ї” -> два таксі́ - borrowed -і/-о nouns do not change form at all.
Tips
- Read the last letter first: consonant -> usually masculine; -а/-я -> usually feminine; -о/-е -> neuter. That one glance settles most nouns.
- Since there are no articles, a bare noun is complete: кни́га can be “a book” or “the book” - let context decide.
- Memorise the -ь group as pairs, one masculine and one feminine, e.g. день (m) vs ніч (f); the ending alone will not tell you.
- Trust the -ість rule: any noun in -ість is feminine (ра́дість, мо́лодість) - a large, free set of words you never have to doubt.
- Check natural gender before the ending: та́то and дя́дько look neuter, Мико́ла looks feminine, but all three name males, so they are masculine.
- Treat кіно́, метро́, таксі́ as “frozen” neuters - same shape in every case and both numbers.
- When you build a plural, expect the stress to move (село́ -> се́ла); say the plural out loud so the new stress sticks.