Gender in Irish (Inscne): Meaning & Pronunciation

Q: What is the Irish for gender?

The Irish for gender is inscne (pronounced “INSH-knyuh”). It’s a feminine noun and the plural is inscní.

Q: What is the plural of gender in Irish?

The plural of inscne is inscní; with the article, na hinscní means “the genders”. The genitive plural is inscní, as in comparáid na n-inscní (the comparison of the genders).

How to say “gender” in Irish

Irish:: inscne
English:: gender
Word type:: noun
Gender:: feminine, fourth declension
Pronunciation:: “INSH-knyuh” /ˈinʲʃcnʲə/

Various forms

Plural:: inscní (genders)
Genitive singular:: inscne, na hinscne (e.g. comhionannas inscne, gender equality)
Genitive plural:: inscní, na n-inscní (e.g. comparáid na n-inscní, the comparison of the genders)

What does “inscne” mean?

“Inscne” has two alternative meanings. The most common comes first.

gender: The grammatical class of a noun, masculine or feminine, which affects mutations and agreement.Also: grammatical gender, noun gender.

1 other meaning:

2gender: A person's social or personal identity as a man, a woman or otherwise.Also: gender identity, sex.

Other Irish words for gender: gnéas (sex)

“Inscne” with the article

The plural of gender in Irish is inscní. Here is inscne after the article (an t-alt), in the singular and the plural.

an inscne

the gender

No change: feminine nouns starting with a vowel keep their form after an

na hinscní

the genders

Plural: na adds h before a vowel

“Inscne” in a sentence: Irish examples

Common Irish sentences using inscne, the Irish word for gender.

Cén inscne atá ag an bhfocal seo?

What gender is this word?

Tá dhá inscne sa Ghaeilge.

Irish has two genders.

Réitíonn an t-ainmfhocal agus an aidiacht ó thaobh inscne de.

The noun and the adjective agree in gender.

Is deacair inscne na bhfocal a fhoghlaim.

Learning the gender of words is hard.

Tá an inscne bhaininscneach ag an bhfocal 'bean'.

The word 'bean' is feminine in gender.

Ní ceart idirdhealú a dhéanamh ar bhonn inscne.

Discrimination on the basis of gender is wrong.

Tá na hinscní difriúil i bhFraincis agus i nGaeilge.

The genders differ in French and Irish.

Other nouns in Irish

More everyday Irish nouns to learn next.

turasóireachttourism brónsorrow ceapblock cóstacoast colúncolumn insinttelling

Gender in Irish: frequently asked questions

What is the Irish for gender?

The Irish for gender is inscne (pronounced “INSH-knyuh”). It’s a feminine noun and the plural is inscní.

How do you pronounce inscne in Irish?

Inscne is said like “INSH-knyuh” (IPA /ˈinʲʃcnʲə/).

What is the plural of gender in Irish?

The plural of inscne is inscní; with the article, na hinscní means “the genders”. The genitive plural is inscní, as in comparáid na n-inscní (the comparison of the genders).

Why does inscne sometimes have a t or h in front of it?

Irish nouns beginning with a vowel take a prefix after certain words: an inscne (the gender), a hinscne (her gender), a n-inscne (their gender), na hinscní (the genders).

Is 'inscne' the same as 'gnéas'?

No: 'gnéas' means sex (biological sex or sexual activity), while 'inscne' means gender, grammatical or social.

How do I say a word is masculine or feminine?

Use the adjectives 'firinscneach' and 'baininscneach', for example 'Is focal baininscneach é bróg'.

Gender in Irish (Inscne): Meaning, Pronunciation, Usage