French Noun Gender by Category

Gender is a property of the individual word, but some whole categories of noun move together. Every language is masculine. Every day of the week is masculine. Most countries that end in -e are feminine. Knowing these saves you looking up a large number of words one at a time.

For the sound-based patterns that cover everything else, see the gender rules by ending, and for the bigger picture start with the complete guide.

Categories that are always one gender

If a noun belongs to one of these groups, you can assign the gender without checking.

Category	Gender	Examples	Watch for
Languages	Masculine	le français, l'anglais, le chinois, le russe	No exceptions.
Days, months, seasons	Masculine	le lundi, un janvier pluvieux, le printemps, l'hiver	No exceptions.
Metals and materials	Masculine	l'or, l'argent, le fer, le cuivre, le béton	But: la pierre, la brique.
Colors (as nouns)	Masculine	le bleu, le rouge, le vert, un jaune vif	No exceptions.
Trees	Masculine	le chêne, le sapin, le pommier, l'érable	The fruit is often feminine: la pomme, la cerise.
Compass points	Masculine	le nord, le sud, l'est, l'ouest	No exceptions.
Wines and cheeses	Masculine	le bordeaux, le champagne, le brie, le camembert	Named after their region, kept masculine.
Numbers and letters	Masculine	le trois, un million, le b, le w	But the -aine collectives are feminine: une dizaine, une douzaine.

Categories where the spelling decides

Here the group does not fix the gender, but a simple test on the word does: a final -e usually means feminine.

Category	Rule	Examples	Watch for
Countries	Feminine if it ends in -e, otherwise masculine	la France, la Chine, l'Italie; le Canada, le Japon, le Brésil	Masculine -e exceptions: le Mexique, le Cambodge, le Zimbabwe, le Mozambique.
Rivers	Usually feminine if it ends in -e, otherwise masculine	la Seine, la Loire, la Tamise; le Rhône, le Rhin, le Nil	Less consistent than countries; check the specific river.
US states and French regions	Feminine if it ends in -e, otherwise masculine	la Californie, la Floride, la Bretagne; le Texas, le Colorado
Cars and motorbikes	Feminine (from la voiture, la moto)	une Renault, une Tesla, une Harley	The brand inherits the gender of the vehicle word.

Categories with no pattern

These split roughly evenly between the two genders with nothing to predict from. Learn each word with its article, and check the ones you are unsure of on the home page.

Body parts	le bras, le nez, le pied, le genou; la main, la jambe, la dent, la tête
Food and drink	le pain, le lait, le sel; la viande, la farine, l'eau
Furniture	le lit, le canapé, le bureau; la table, la chaise, l'armoire
Weather	le vent, le soleil, le brouillard; la pluie, la neige, la chaleur

Common questions

Are countries masculine or feminine in French?

A country is feminine when its name ends in -e and masculine otherwise. So la France, la Belgique, and l'Allemagne, but le Canada, le Portugal, and le Danemark. The main exceptions are le Mexique, le Cambodge, le Zimbabwe, and le Mozambique, which end in -e but stay masculine.

Are languages masculine or feminine in French?

Every language is masculine: le français, l'espagnol, le japonais, le portugais. This is one of the few categories with no exceptions at all.

Is there a category with no gender rule?

Yes. Body parts, food, furniture, and weather words split roughly evenly between the two genders with nothing to predict from, so each word has to be learned with its article.