When a German noun is der, die or das

Two clues tell you the article: how a noun ends, and what it means. Both are here, each rule with the words that fall outside it.

Every German noun has an article — der, die or das — and most of the time the word itself will not tell you which, so you learn the article along with the word. But some words come in groups that share one article, and those groups are worth knowing by heart.

There are only two clues: how a noun ends, and what it means. Both are on this page, with the exceptions named rather than hidden — a rule you cannot trust is worse than no rule. And a meaning rule is about the names inside a group, never the word for the group itself: das Wetter, das Obst, die Farbe and der Fluss keep their own articles.

All the endings, by article

The endings that tell you der, die or das — and the words that fall outside each one.

der

die

das

What immer, fast immer, meistens and oft promise

always: No exceptions. The ending decides.
almost always: A few words fall outside it, and each rule names its own underneath.
usually: A large majority. The exceptions come up often enough to learn alongside the rule.
often: The tendency is real: about two nouns in three. Good for a guess, not a guarantee.

When the meaning tells you the article

dermasculine

Days, months and seasons

der Montag
der Dienstag
der Sonntag
der Januar
der Mai
der August
der Frühling
der Sommer
der Winter

Seven days, twelve months, four seasons, and nothing inside the rule breaks it. das Frühjahr is das because it ends in das Jahr.

Weather, wind and the points of the compass

der Regen
der Schnee
der Wind
der Norden
der Süden
der Osten
der Westen

but

die Sonne
die Wolke
das Gewitter
die Hitze
die Kälte

Anything that falls out of the sky is der, and so are the wind and the four directions. die Hitze and die Kälte follow their -e instead.

Parts of the day

der Morgen
der Mittag
der Abend

but

die Nacht

That one exception is why you say guten Morgen and gute Nacht.

Alcohol

der Wein
der Sekt
der Schnaps

but

das Bier

The drink you are most likely to order is the one that breaks it.

Men and male animals

der Mann
der Sohn
der Bruder
der Arzt
der Junge

The female word is die: die Frau, die Tochter, die Ärztin.

Makes of car

der BMW
der Golf
der Mercedes

From der Wagen, so it works for a make you have never heard of. The same name on a motorbike turns die: die BMW.

diefeminine

Women and female animals

die Frau
die Tochter
die Schwester
die Lehrerin
die Ärztin

but

das Mädchen

Every job title has a form ending in -in, and every one of those is die. The one word everybody quotes against it is a diminutive, and that rule outranks this one.

Flowers and fruit

die Blume
die Banane
die Birne
die Kirsche
die Erdbeere
die Traube

but

der Apfel
der Pfirsich

Most of them end in -e as well, so the rule pays twice.

Trees

die Eiche
die Tanne
die Birke

but

der Ahorn
der Holunder

Tree names are die: die Eiche, die Buche, die Birke. The ones ending in -er are not — der Ahorn, der Holunder — and der Baum was never a tree name.

Numbers as nouns

die Eins
die Sieben
die Million
die Milliarde

From die Zahl. It holds for any number you can name.

Rivers in Germany

die Donau
die Elbe
die Mosel

but

der Rhein
der Main

Rivers elsewhere in the world are usually der: der Nil, der Amazonas.

dasneuter

Small things — anything ending -chen or -lein

das Mädchen
das Brötchen
das Würstchen
das Kätzchen
das Fräulein

but

der Kuchen

It outranks what a word means: a girl is a girl, and das Mädchen is still das. Nothing that really is a small version of something breaks it — der Kuchen only looks the part, since there is no Kuch to make small.

Young beings

das Kind
das Baby
das Kalb
das Lamm

but

der Junge

A young one is das until it grows up: das Kind becomes der Sohn or die Tochter. der Junge never followed the rule.

Metals

das Gold
das Silber
das Eisen
das Kupfer

but

der Stahl
die Bronze

Metal names are das: das Gold, das Eisen, das Blei. Two you meet are not — der Stahl and die Bronze.

Verbs used as nouns

das Essen
das Lernen
das Schwimmen
das Leben

Any infinitive becomes a noun this way. Give it a capital letter and it is das: essen → das Essen.

Colours and letters

das Rot
das Blau
das A
das Ü

Also the notes of music: das hohe C.

When the ending and the meaning disagree

The strongest rule on this page is not about meaning at all. Anything ending -chen or -lein is das, whatever the word stands for — which is how a girl ends up as das Mädchen.

When the ending and the meaning point different ways, the ending wins. It is also the clue you can use on a word you have never met — a meaning rule needs you to know the word first.