Italian grammar: Gender of Italian nouns by ending

The gender of nouns in Italian established by changing the ending

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One of the ways to identify the gender of a noun is to check the ending of the word:

1. Nouns ending in "-o":

In Italian, the vast majority of nouns ending in "-o" are masculine.

Examples:
il libro (the book), lo zaino (the backpack).

But...

La mano (the hand), la radio (the radio), la biro (the pen) and some other less common nouns, are all feminine.
The word "eco" (echo) is feminine in the singular (even though the masculine form is however accepted) and masculine in the plural:
l'eco (feminine singular) - gli echi (masculine plural).
Finally, there are several feminine nouns ending in "-o" due to a shortening of the word.

Examples:
la moto = la motocicletta (the motorbike), l'auto = l'automobile (the car), la foto = la fotografia (the photo), etc...

2. Nouns ending in "-a":

In Italian, most of the nouns ending in "-a" are feminine.

Examples: la rosa (the rose), la casa (the house).

But...

All nouns ending in "-ma" are masculine.

Examples:
il problema (the problem), il cinema (the cinema), il programma (the program), etc...
Some proper names ending in "-a" are masculine.

Examples: Andrea, Nicola, Enea, etc...
A few nouns ending in "-a", mostly of Greek origin, and all nouns ending in "-ista" and "-cida", can be either masculine or feminine. In this case, the gender can only be understood from the context.

Examples:
l'atleta (the athlete), il collega (the collegue), il turista (the tourist), il suicida (the suicide), etc...

3. Nouns ending in "-e":

In Italian, in general, nouns ending in "-e" can be either masculine or feminine.

Examples:
il mare (the sea), il dente (the tooth), la nave (the ship), la mente (the mind).

But...

Most nouns ending in "-ione", "-udine", "-ite", "-igine", "-ice" are feminine.

Examples:
la decisione (the decision), la solitudine (the solitude), la lite (the quarrel), l'origine (the origin), la pittrice (the painter).
All nouns ending in "-ie" are feminine.

Examples:
La superficie (the surface), la specie (the sort / kind), etc...
All nouns ending in "-ore" are masculine.

Examples:
Il motore (the engine), il colore (the color), etc...
In Italian, the vast majority of nouns ending in "-ame", "-ale", "-ile" and "-ere" are masculine.

Examples: Il rame (the copper), il giornale (the newspaper), il canile (the kennel), il potere (the power), etc...

4. Nouns ending in "-i":

In Italian, most of the nouns ending in "-i" are feminine.

Examples: la crisi (the crisis), l'analisi (the analysis), l'enfasi (the emphasis).

But...

Il brindisi (the toast - drink to), il safari (the safari), and some other less common nouns, are all masculine.

5. Nouns ending in "-tà" and "-tù":

In Italian, all nouns ending in "-tà" and "-tù" are feminine.

Examples: La felicità (the happiness), la gioventù (the youth), etc...

6. Nouns ending in a consonant:

In Italian, in general, the nouns ending in a consonant are of foreign origin and they are masculine.

Examples: Lo sport (the sport), il bar (the bar), il computer (the computer), il toast (the toast), l'autobus (the bus), etc.

But...

La miss (the miss), la star (the star), la holding (the holding), and some other less common nouns, are all feminine.

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