جنس
jins
The Arabic word for gender is جنس (jins).
The term جنس is used to refer to both biological sex and the social concept of gender in Arabic. For more specific contexts, other terms are used: النوع is used to mean 'type' or 'kind' when referring to gender roles and الهوية الجندارية is the formal term for 'gender identity' in psychological or LGBTQ+ discussions.
Meaning: biological sex (noun)
Which one should you use?
While جنس covers both 'sex' and 'gender', you may encounter other terms depending on the nuance. For example, التوازن الجنساني means 'gender balance' and الذكورية means 'masculinity'.
How does it change in a sentence?
By adding the definite article ال to the front of the word, you get الجنس, which means 'the gender' or 'the sex' when referring to a specific context.
How do you pronounce it?
jins
Did you know?
- The word جنس likely traveled into Arabic from the Classical Syriac word ܓܸܢܣܵܐ, which itself came from the Ancient Greek word γένος.
- In many Arabic-speaking contexts, using the word جنس alone might carry a connotation of 'sex' in a sexual sense rather than just 'gender'.
- Arabic grammar classifies words into genders, but the language does not have a single word for 'gender' that functions exactly like the English grammatical term without sounding like it refers to biological sex.
Examples in context
- تحوّل جسم سامي بواسطة عمليّات جراحيّة لتعديل جنسه.Sami had his body transformed with gender reassignment surgery.This sentence is useful for discussing how the word جنس is used in the context of gender reassignment.Tatoeba #7009323 by OsoHombre, translation #6574980 by OsoHombre
- يجب أن تُسجل الجنس في نموذج الاستمارة.It is necessary to indicate the gender on the form.
- النوع لا يحدد فقط الجنس، بل يمكن أن يكون له دلالات اجتماعية أيضًا.Gender doesn't only determine the sex, but it can also have social implications.
- يجب احترام الهوية الجندارية للأفراد.Individuals' gender identities should be respected.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries جنس, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
