Does Armenian have masculine and feminine words?

Is Armenian a gendered language? This is one of the questions that beginner learners of Online Armenian School often ask us, and the simple answer is ‘no’. However, there are some exceptions! Below, we’ll explore the masculine and feminine forms in the Eastern and Western Armenian language.

The Armenian language, like many others, exhibits no grammatical gender, though its system might not be as straightforward as some. Here’s a look at how gender is expressed in Armenian:

1. The feminine suffix:

In both Eastern and Western Armenian, there is a feminine suffix (-ուհի “-ouhi”) which has no grammatical effect, but helps to make the preceding word feminine. For example, “usutsich” meaning teacher (ուսուցիչ) becomes “usutsichouhi” meaning female teacher (ուսուցչուհի) with the suffix added. You can learn more about Armenian suffixes in our online Armenian Suffixes Masterclass, here.

2. Personal pronouns:

In English, we have different words for “he” and “she”, and “his” and “hers”, and “him” and “her”. In Armenian, this is not the case. The same personal pronoun is used in Armenian, irrespective of gender. Note the differences between Eastern and Western Armenian. We teach both dialects in Online Armenian School!

3. Feminine prefix:

In some cases in Armenian, the word “kin/gin” meaning woman (կին) is placed in front of the noun, to show female gender. An examples of this is “kin varord/gin varort” meaning woman driver (կին վարորդ), or female driver as we’d say in English.

4. Gender-specific vocabulary:

In English, we have gender-specific vocabulary when referring to animals, and this is also present in Armenian. In English, the word cow is feminine, while the word bull is masculine. In Armenian, we use “kov/gov” meaning cow (կով) and “tsul” meaning bull (ցուլ). Another example is “maki” meaning ewe (sheep) – (մաքի) and “khoy” meaning ram (խոյ).

5. Masculine and feminine names:

Like in many languages, Armenian has masculine, feminine AND gender-neutral names. Some examples are below. Check out our blog post on Armenian names and their meanings in English, if you’re interested in learning more.

• “Hayk” (Հայկ): This masculine name refers to “Hayk,” the legendary founder of the Armenian nation.
• “Ani” (Անի): This feminine name refers to the historical city of Ani.
• “Armen” (Արմեն) (masculine) and “Armenouhi” (Արմենուհի) (feminine) meaning Armenian person.

While Armenian does not exhibit traditional grammatical gender, it’s important to remember that there are some linguistic features that reflect the inherent qualities of the objects or concepts being referred to. Like all languages, Armenian is constantly evolving, and is a fascinating and rewarding language to learn.

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