What is the feminine (mu'annath)?
In one line
Classical definition
Key words in the Arabic
Understand it
A feminine noun is most often marked by the ta' marbuta (ة) at its end, as in مُسْلِمَة. But some words are feminine with no visible sign — women's names, paired body-parts (يَد، عَيْن), and a set of well-known words such as شَمْس (sun) and نَار (fire). That hidden group is what the definition means by “implied”: the marker is understood even though nothing is written.
How to spot it
In the Qur'an
Don't confuse it with
Feminine gender comes in two kinds, and only one of them is visible.
Marked feminines carry a sign — usually ة, sometimes ـاء or ـى: مُسْلِمَة, صَحْرَاء, كُبْرَى.
Unmarked feminines carry nothing at all and must simply be known: شَمْس, نَار, أَرْض, يَد. Their agreement gives them away — تَطْلُعُ الشَّمْسُ, never يَطْلُعُ.
Related terms
▶ Watch the lessons
From the free course The Language of Quran — Easier than English (Book One) (LoQ1), taught by Ustadh Muhammad Arjan Ali.
Common questions
How do I decide the gender of a word with no feminine sign?
Use the three-step map. Real biological gender always wins — that is why حَمْزَة and عِيسَى are masculine despite their endings. Then the written signs (ة، اء، ى). Then the usage categories: paired body-parts, places and cities, fire, wind, wine, and the شَمْس set. No match = masculine, the default.
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