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Learn Amharic: Amharic Nouns in Details: Ethiopian Language

  • Post category:Amharic Grammar
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  • Post last modified:February 27, 2026
  • Reading time:10 mins read
In this lesson, you will learn the 6 types of Amharic nouns. It helps you to speak Amharic like a native.

What is a Noun in General?

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

And in Amharic, nouns are central to sentence construction and often come before verbs (S+O+V).

How many noun types are there in Amharic?

Amharic nouns can be categorized into 6 types. Here are the types of nouns in Amharic:

    1. Common and proper nouns (የወልና የተፀውኦ ስሞች)
    2. Singular Plural Nouns (ነጠላ እና ብዙ ስሞች)
    3. Abstract and Concrete Nouns (ረቂቅና የሚዳሰሱ ስሞች)
    4. Countable & Uncountable Nouns (የሚቆጠሩና የማይቆጠሩ ስሞች)
    5. Definite and Indefinite nouns (የተወሰኑና ያልተወሰኑ ስሞች)
    6. Possessive Nouns (አገናዛቢ ስሞች)

1. Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Common Nouns: Common Nouns are general names. They do NOT name something specific. Examples:
  • 👤 ሰው (sew) person
  • 🏫 ቤት (bet) house
  • 🌊 ወንዝ (wenz) river
  • 📖 መጽሀፍ (metshaf) book
  • 🌍 አገር (ager) country
Proper Nouns: These are specific names of people, places, or things. Examples:
  • 👤 አበበ (Abebe)
  • 🏙 አዲስ አበባ (Addis Ababa)
  • 🌊 አባይ (Nile)
  • 🌍 ኢትዮጵያ (Ethiopia)
✅ Simple Rule:
  1. Common noun = general name
  2. Proper noun = specific name
Example:
  • ከተማ → Common noun
  • አዲስ አበባ → Proper noun
Common Nouns Proper Noun
ተማሪ (Student)
  • ሙሐመድ (Muhammed)
  • አበበ (Abebe)
አገር (Country)
  • አሜሪካ (America)
  • ኢትዮጵያ (Ethiopia)
ቋንቋ (Language)
  • አማርኛ (Amharic)
  • እንግሊዝኛ (English)
መፅሀፍ (Book)
  • ቁርአን (Quran)
  • መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ (Bible)

The nouns on the left are common nouns that everyone or everything is called by. On the right, however, are specific nouns. For instance, ተማሪ (student) is a common noun for all students, whereas ‘ሙሐመድ (Muhammad)’ is a specifically known personal name.

ልምምድ አንድ (Activity 1): I will give you 3 Common Nouns. You must reply with a Proper Noun that fits that category.
  1. አገር (Country) _________
  2. ወንዝ (River) _________
  3. ተራራ (Mountain) _________
ለምሳሌ፦ (Example) ከተማ (City) > ባህር ዳር (Bahir Dar)
Homework 📝 Activity 1 — Put each word in the correct group:
  • Addis Ababa
  • teacher
  • Abebe
  • river
  • Nile
  • country
  • Ethiopia
  • book
Activity 2 — Writing ✍ Nouns
  • ✍ 3 proper nouns from your life (names of people or places)
  • ✍ 3 common nouns you use every day
Answer Submission Instructions
  • 👉 Send your answers in text form.
  • 👉 Then record a short voice message reading your answers.
Submit your homework through one of these groups. Grammar becomes powerful when you use it.

2. Amharic Singular and Plural Nouns

  • Singular Nouns: Refer to one person, place, thing, or idea. Example:
    • ልጅ (lj) child.
    • ቤት (Biet) House
    • አገር (Ager) Country

Plural Nouns: Refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Example:

  • ልጆች (ljoch) children.
  • ቤቶች (Bietoch) Houses
  • አገሮች (Ageroch) Countries
  • ተማሪዎች (Temariwoch) Students
  • ተጠቃሚዎች (Teteqamiwoch) Consumers
  • ባለሞያዎች (Balemoyawoch) Experts

In Amharic, pluralization is often done by adding suffixes like –och (ኦች) or woch (ዎች). When we want to change a word from singular to plural, we change the last letter to the seventh letter and then add ች.

For example, the last letter in the word ልጅ is ጅ; it is the sixth letter according to the Amharic fidel order. To change the word to plural, we need to make the last letter a seventh letter. So we will change ጅ to ጆ  and we will add ች → ልጆች   boys. So, you can change other words in this way too. Remember that the letter ኦ is a vowel letter that changes the consonant letters into the seventh letter. For example:
Singular Noun +ኦች Plural Noun
ቤት +ኦች ቤቶች
ሰው +ኦች ሰዎች
ሴት +ኦች ሴቶች
ወንድ +ኦች ወንዶች
ልጅ +ኦች ልጆች
Don’t forget, also, in some words, you need to add ዎች ate the end. For example:
  • ሥራዎች = Works
  • ቋንቋዎች = Languages
  • አዋቂዎች = Adults, or knowledgeable persons
  • ለተጎጂዎች (letegojiwoch) For the victims
  • አካባቢዎች (Akababiwoch) Areas
  • ማስረጃዎች (Masrejawoch) Evidences
  • ታጣቂዎች (Tataqiwoch) Armed Forces
You see, if we don’t add ዎች at the end, the nouns remain singular. When learning Amharic nouns, the key takeaway is understanding the singular and plural forms. This is essential because you need to use singular nouns in singular contexts and plural nouns in plural contexts.
Of course, you can learn lots of things like vocabulary and rules in other types of nouns also, but singulars and plurals are more repetitive and applicable throughout your entire life.

3. Abstract (ረቂቅ) and Concrete (ተጨባጭ) Nouns

  • Abstract Nouns: Refer to ideas, qualities, or states that cannot be seen or touched.
Examples:
    • ፍቅር (fikir) = love
    • ሰላም (selam) = peace
    • ጭንቀት (chinqet) = worry
  • Concrete Nouns: Refer to physical objects that can be seen or touched.
Examples:
    • መጽሓፍ (meṣḥaf) = book
    • ቤት (bet) = house
    • ወንበር (wenber) = chair
Additional examples:
Abstract nouns (ረቂቅ ስሞች) Concrete Nouns (ተጨባጭ ስሞች)
እምነት (belife) መፅሀፍ (book)
ሀይማኖቶች (Religions) አስተማሪ (Teacher)
በሽታ (Disease) ውሃ (Water)
ብርሃን (Light) ድንጋይ (stone)
ጨለማ (Dark) ወረቀት (Paper)
ሙቀት (heat) ሙቀት መለኪያ (Thermometer)
  • Homework:
Activity 1: Classify each word as either a Concrete Noun or an Abstract Noun.
  1. ፍቅር (Love),____________________
  2. ጠረጴዛ (Table),____________________
  3. እውቀት (Knowledge),____________________
  4. መጽሐፍ (Book),____________________
  5. ደስታ (Happiness),____________________
  6. ውሃ (Water),____________________
  7. ነጻነት (Freedom),____________________
  8. ዛፍ (Tree),____________________
  9. ትዕግስት (Patience),____________________
  10. ድንጋይ (Stone),____________________
Activity 2: Brainstorm and provide your own examples of 5 Concrete Nouns and 5 Abstract Nouns.
  1. Five Concrete Nouns (ተጨባጭ ስሞች) _ _ _ _ _
  2.  Five Abstract Nouns (ረቂቅ ስሞች) _ _ _ _ _
Comment the answers below or send them directly to our Telegram or WhatsApp group.
4. Countable and Uncountable Nouns (የሚቆጠሩና የማይቆጠሩ ስሞች)
  • Countable Nouns: These can be counted and have singular and plural forms.
Examples:
    • ቤት (Biet) => House
    • ቤቶች (Bietoch) => Houses
    • በር (Ber) => Door 
    • በሮች (Beroch) => Doors
    • ሰው (Sew) => Person
    • ሰዎች (Sewoch) => Persons
  • Uncountable Nouns: These cannot be counted and usually do not have a plural form.
Examples:
    • ውሃ (wha) = water
    • ዱቄት (duqet) = flour
    • ጨው (chew) => Salt
Countable Nouns (የሚቆጠሩ ስሞች) Uncountable Nouns (የማይቆጠሩ ስሞች)
ላሞች (Cows) ወተት (Milk)
ብርጭቆዎች (Glasses) ውሃ (Water)
በሮች (Doors) ጨው (Salt)
ልብሶች (clothes) ንፋስ (wind)

We can add numbers to change nouns measured in liters and kilos to plurals. We can express the quantity of uncountable nouns by adding adjectives like numbers and some words like ብዙ (many), ትንሽ (some) etc. example:

  • ሁለት ሊትር ዘይት (Two liters of oil)
  • ብዙ ኪሎ ጨው (Many kilos of salt)
  • በጣም ብዙ ማር (Too much honey)
  • ትንሽ ጨው (Some salt)

የቤት ስራ፦ Homework 4: Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns Instruction: Label each word as C (Countable) or U (Uncountable).
  1. ብርቱካን (Orange),______
  2. ወተት (Milk),__________
  3. ወንበር (Chair),_________
  4. ስኳር (Sugar),__________
  5. መኪና (Car),___________
  6. ሩዝ (Rice),____________
  7. እንቁላል (Egg),__________
  8. ጨው (Salt),___________
  9. ደብተር (Notebook),______
  10. ውሃ (Water),___________

5. Indefinite and Definite Nouns

  • Indefinite Nouns: Refer to non-specific people, places, or things.
    • Example: ቤት (bet) = a house.
  • Definite Nouns: Refer to specific people, places, or things. In Amharic, definiteness is indicated by adding suffixes like -u (ኡ) or -wa (ዋ).
    • Example: ቤት (bet) → ቤቱ (betu) – the house.
Indefinite Nouns Definite Nouns
ሴት (woman) ሴቲቱ (the woman)
ሚስት (Wife) ሚስቱ (his wife)
ሰው (Man) ሰውየው(the man)
ባል (Husband) ባሏ (Her husband)
ወንድም (Brother) ወንድሙ (His brother)
መኪና (Car)
  • መኪናው A Masculine car, meaning ‘The car’ or His Car (የሱ መኪና.)
  • መኪናዋ is a feminine car; it means the car or Her car (የሷ መኪና)
ቤት (House)አገር (Country)
  • ቤቲቱ (The house) (A Feminine house)
  • ቤቷ (her house)
  • አገሪቱ (The Country) Feminine

The adjectives make nouns definite and specific. The Amharic adjectives that are added above to the definite nouns are not independent words and cannot stand on their own; they are suffixes. The following suffixes are used in the table above:

  • ቱ <=> The
  • ቱ <=> The
  • ው <=> The
  • ሏ <=> her
  • ሙ <=> His
  • ው / ዋ <=> The or her
  • ቱ / ቷ <=> The Her
But have you ever wondered how to translate ‘A car‘ or ‘The dog‘ into Amharic? You might look for the word ‘A‘ or ‘The‘ in a dictionary, but you won’t find them as separate words! Example:
  • ኡመር ወደ አንድ መንደር ሲሄድ ውሻ (A dog) መጣበት። ውሻው (The dog) በጣም ትልቅ ነበር። Note how ‘Dog‘ becomes ‘The dog‘ once we know which one we are talking about!
English Amharic Type
A Car መኪና Indefinite (No suffix)
The Car መኪናው Definite (Suffix)
A Dog ውሻ Indefinite
The Dog ውሻው Definite

Common Questions (FAQ)

How do I know which suffix to add?

That is a great question! Follow these simple rules to change an Indefinite noun (a chair) into a Definite noun (the chair): The suffix you choose depends on two things:
  1. The gender of the noun (Masculine or Feminine).
  2. The ending sound of the word (whether it ends in a Consonant or a Vowel).

1. For Masculine Nouns (Male/General)

If it ends in a Sixth Letter (Consonants): Add the -u sound. You don’t add the letter ኡ separately; instead, you change the last letter of the word into its Second Letter form. Example: ወንበር (Chair) → ወንበሩ (The chair)Explanation: The letter ር is a sixth letter. When we add the -u sound, it transforms into ሩ (the second letter). Now, you try! Change these into definite nouns:
  • ድመት (Cat) → __________
  • በር (Door) → __________
  • መጽሐፍ (Book) → __________
If it ends in a Vowel: Simply add the suffix letter ው (-w) at the end. Examples:
  • ውሻ (Dog) → ውሻው (The dog)
  • በሬ (Ox) → በሬው (The ox)
  • አህያ (Donkey) → አህያው (The donkey)
  • ቀበሮ (Fox) → ቀበሮው (The fox)
  • መኪና (Car) → መኪናው (The car)

2. For Feminine Nouns (Female)

Use the suffixes -ዋ, -ኢቱ, or -ይቱ: In Amharic, feminine suffixes can sometimes indicate “The” or “Her.” Examples:
  • ላም (Cow) → ላሟ (The cow / Her cow)
  • ላም (Cow) → ላሚቱ (The cow)
  • መኪና (Car) → መኪናዋ (The car / Her car)
  • መኪና (Car) → መኪናይቱ (The car)
Note: Most native speakers use these interchangeably in conversation, so don’t worry too much about the tiny differences yet!
Q: Why did we use “ውሻው” for a dog we just met? A: Because after the first mention, the dog is no longer a stranger to the story. We use “-ው” to track the same object!Q: Is there a word for “A” or “An”? A: No separate word. Just say the noun. If you need to be specific, use “አንድ” (One). Q: How do I know if I should use “-ው” (His) or “-ው” (The)? A: It depends on the story. If someone owns it, it’s “His.” If you are just pointing it out, it’s “The.”
📝 Homework: Lesson 5 Change these Indefinite nouns into Definite nouns (The/His/Her):
  1. ውሻ (Dog) → ________
  2. ወንበር (Chair) → ________
  3. መምህር (Teacher) → ________
  4. ላም (Cow) → ________

6. Possessive Nouns

Possessive nouns show ownership or relationship. In Amharic, possession is indicated by adding possessive suffixes to the noun, like we did with the definite nouns, and we also add the የ letter, which means “of.”.
  • Examples:
    • ቤቴ (biete) = my house
    • ቤቱ (bietu) = his house
    • ቤቷ (bietwa) = her house
    • የሙሐመድ ልጅ = Muhammed’s child
    • የካሳ ዘመድ = Kasa’s relative
The letetr የ is a preposition; we use it before the noun to denote someone’s belonging. ‘የ’ means of or ‘s. I think, this is a big takeaway too. 📝 Homework: Lesson 6 Translate these phrases into Amharic:
  1. Abebe’s car → ________
  2. My book → ________
  3. The teacher’s house → ________
  4. Her name → ________
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