hankøn

Hankøn is one of the two grammatical genders used in Danish, the other being intetkøn (neuter). The hankøn category groups nouns that typically take the indefinite article en and influence the form of the noun in the definite singular, as well as the inflection of nearby adjectives. In modern Danish, many common everyday nouns belong to hankøn, while others belong to intetkøn. The distinction is primarily a matter of morphological patterns rather than natural gender.

Indefinite and definite forms illustrate the difference. Nouns in hankøn usually take the indefinite article en, as in en mand (a man). Nouns in intetkøn take the indefinite article et, as in et hus (a house). The definite singular is typically formed by adding a suffix to the noun: manden (the man) for hankøn, huset (the house) for intetkøn. Plural forms and their definite forms follow noun-specific patterns.

Adjectives interacting with hankøn nouns follow gender- and definiteness-based inflection. For example, the indefinite phrase en stor bil uses the adjective in its base form, while the definite phrase den store bil uses a definite-inflected adjective. The same logic applies to neuter nouns with det store hus. Adjective inflection in Danish can be learned together with noun gender, and the two systems are taught as part of standard grammar.

Notes and scope: Hankøn is a core concept in Danish syntax and noun morphology. While the distinction remains central in education and reference grammars, actual usage continues to evolve, and some nouns may be learned as hankøn or intetkøn on a case-by-case basis. The classification helps explain patterns of articles, pronouns, and adjective agreement throughout Danish.