Kvenkyn

Kvenkyn, literally the feminine gender, is a grammatical category used in Icelandic and, in linguistic descriptions, in other Nordic languages to classify nouns and to govern agreement with adjectives, pronouns, and determiners. It is one of three grammatical genders in Icelandic, the others being karlkyn (masculine) and neuter (hvorkyn or equivalent term in descriptions).

In Icelandic, grammatical gender affects how words modify one another within noun phrases. Adjectives, pronouns, and determiners inflect for gender, number, and case to agree with the noun they describe. The definite and indefinite forms of adjectives and nouns exhibit gender-specific patterns, and the feminine form often has distinct inflectional endings. While many nouns coding female natural gender are assigned to kvenkyn, and many semantically feminine terms follow the expected pattern, gender assignment is not always predictable, and there are exceptions and irregularities that learners must memorize or consult in dictionaries and grammar references.

Use and variation: kvenkyn intersects with syntax, morphology, and historical development. In modern Icelandic, the three-gender system remains active, influencing agreement across verbs, adjectives, and pronouns, and shaping the way noun phrases are constructed. The category has its roots in Proto-Germanic and Nordic language history, and its practical usage is largely determined by the lexicon of the language.

See also: Karlkyn, hvorkyn/hvorugkyn, Icelandic grammar, Proto-Germanic.