das · -chen / -leincertain
Diminutive suffix -chen / -lein
All German diminutives ending in -chen or -lein are strictly neuter (das), even for people like das Mädchen.
der · Masculinedie · Femininedas · Neuter
German Der / Die / Das Gender & Plural Checker
Look up any noun from our 595-noun dictionary or test an unseen German word to discover its article (der, die, or das), morphological gender rule, plural form, and full 4-case declension matrix.
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das · Neuter (Neutrum)Verified Dictionary Match
das Mädchen
girl
Plural Form
die Mädchen
Genitive Singular
des Mädchens
Declension Pattern
strong
Diminutive suffix -chen / -lein
All German diminutives ending in -chen or -lein are strictly neuter (das), even for people like das Mädchen.
Watch out: Non-diminutive stems ending in -chen (e.g. der Kuchen, der Knochen) are lexical stems, not diminutives.
4-Case Declension Table (Singular & Plural)
Switch between definite, indefinite, negative, and possessive articles to inspect how both determiner and noun endings shift.
| Case (Question) | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeWer oder was? | das Mädchen | die Mädchen |
| AccusativeWen oder was? | das Mädchen | die Mädchen |
| DativeWem? | dem Mädchen | den Mädchen |
| GenitiveWessen? | des Mädchens | der Mädchen |
- • Plural "Mädchen" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Mädchen.
Example Sentences by Case
German Noun Gender Patterns & Suffix Cheat Sheet
Filter reliable der / die / das rules and click any example to test it above.
die · -ungcertain
Abstract/action suffix -ung
Virtually 100% of nouns ending in -ung are feminine (die).
die · -heit / -keitcertain
Quality suffix -heit / -keit
Every German noun built with -heit or -keit is strictly feminine (die).
die · -schaftcertain
Collective suffix -schaft
All nouns ending in -schaft are feminine (die).
die · -tätcertain
Latinate suffix -tät
All nouns ending in -tät are feminine (die).
die · -tion / -sioncertain
Latinate suffix -tion / -sion
Nouns ending in -tion or -sion are feminine (die).
die · -ikhigh
Academic/discipline suffix -ik
Most nouns ending in -ik are feminine (die).
die · -anz / -enzhigh
Latinate suffix -anz / -enz
Abstract nouns ending in -anz or -enz are reliably feminine (die).
die · -eihigh
Shop/craft suffix -ei
Nouns ending in stressed -ei (such as shops and activities) are almost always feminine (die).
die · -urhigh
Latinate suffix -ur
Polysyllabic nouns ending in -ur are typically feminine (die).
die · -iehigh
Loanword suffix -ie
Most nouns ending in -ie (stress on -ie) are feminine (die).
die · -in (female people/roles)high
Female person suffix -in
Feminine role and profession nouns derived with -in take die (plural -innen).
der · -ismuscertain
Concept suffix -ismus
100% of nouns ending in -ismus are masculine (der).
der · -linghigh
Suffix -ling
Native German nouns ending in -ling are masculine (der).
der · -ighigh
Suffix -ig
Almost all nouns ending in -ig are masculine (der).
der · -orhigh
Agent/device suffix -or
Loanwords ending in -or (professions, devices, concepts) are overwhelmingly masculine (der).
das · -menthigh
Loanword suffix -ment
Nouns ending in -ment are strongly neuter (das).
das · -um / -tumhigh
Latinate -um / collective -tum
Almost all nouns ending in -um or -tum are neuter (das).
das · -nishigh
Abstract suffix -nis (mostly das)
Most -nis nouns are neuter (das, plural -nisse), though a noticeable subset is feminine.
das · -mahigh
Greek loanword suffix -ma
Classical Greek loanwords ending in -ma are normally neuter (das).
das · -ohigh
Shortened/loanword ending -o
Shortened nouns and modern loanwords ending in -o are mostly neuter (das).
das · Ge-...(-e)high
Collective prefix Ge-
Many collective and result nouns beginning with Ge- are neuter (das).
der · -ant / -ent / -ist / -ogehigh
Animate weak masculine suffix
Male people, animals, and professions in -ant, -ent, -ist, -oge are masculine N-Declension nouns.
der · Days / Months / Seasons / Weathercertain
Semantic category: calendar & weather
Days of the week, months, seasons, compass directions, and most precipitation/wind nouns are masculine (der).
der · -er (agent / tool)medium
Agent or tool ending -er
Agents and machines ending in -er (e.g. der Lehrer, der Computer) tend to be masculine (der).
die · -e (inanimate)medium
Final -e tendency
Roughly 80–90% of two-syllable inanimate German nouns ending in -e are feminine (die).
Popular Noun Declension Reference Sheets
Open full dictionary pages for 595 high-frequency German nouns.
der Mannman / husbandPl. Männerdie Frauwoman / wife / Mrs.Pl. Frauendas KindchildPl. Kinderder VaterfatherPl. Väterdie MuttermotherPl. Mütterder BruderbrotherPl. Brüderdie SchwestersisterPl. Schwesternder SohnsonPl. Söhnedie TochterdaughterPl. Töchterder Freundfriend / boyfriendPl. Freundedie Freundinfriend (female) / girlfriendPl. Freundinnender JungeboyPl. Jungendas MädchengirlPl. Mädchender NamenamePl. Namender Buchstabeletter of the alphabetPl. Buchstabendie Nummernumber (phone/house/item)Pl. Nummernder TischtablePl. Tischeder StuhlchairPl. Stühledie LampelampPl. Lampendas Sofasofa / couchPl. Sofasdie Wohnungapartment / flatPl. Wohnungendas Haushouse / buildingPl. Häuserdas ZimmerroomPl. Zimmerdie KüchekitchenPl. Küchen
German Gender & Declension FAQ
Is there a reliable way to guess der, die, or das without memorizing every noun?
Yes! Suffix rules correctly predict thousands of German nouns at a glance: words ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät, -tion/-sion, and -ik are virtually always die (feminine); diminutives in -chen or -lein (even das Mädchen) are always das (neuter), and -ment/-um words are mostly das (exceptions: der Moment, der Irrtum, der Konsum); words in -ismus, -ling, -ner, plus days, months, seasons, many weather words (der Regen, der Schnee), and winds (der Föhn) are der (masculine).
Why is "das Mädchen" neuter instead of feminine?
In German, grammatical gender follows the final suffix of the word. Because Mädchen ends in the diminutive suffix -chen (originally from Magd + -chen), grammar treats it strictly as neuter (das). The same rule applies to das Fräulein and das Büchlein.
What about compound nouns made of two or three words?
German compound nouns (Komposita) ALWAYS inherit the grammatical gender and plural ending of their final base noun. For example, der Schlüssel + der Bund = der Schlüsselbund, while die Woche + das Ende = das Wochenende.
What is German N-declension (schwache Deklination)?
A small group of masculine (der) nouns — masculine nouns in -e for people or animals (der Junge, der Kollege, der Löwe), foreign nouns in -ant, -ent, or -ist (der Praktikant, der Student, der Polizist), plus a few others such as der Mensch and der Herr — add -n or -en in the Accusative, Dative, and Genitive singular as well as the plural.