Nonbinary Wiki - User contributions [en]

Gender neutral language in German

2026-03-08T21:05:19Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Tables */

{{see also|Pronouns#German neutral pronouns|German neutral pronouns}}
{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in German''' is more difficult than [[gender neutral language]] (also called gender inclusive language) in some languages, because German's grammatical gender is pervasive. See the main article on [[gender neutral language]] for general reasons to use neutral language, common problems in using it, and its use for [[nonbinary]] people.

=== Nouns, Adjectives etc. ===
See also: [https://nibi.space/geschlechtsneutrale_sprache Geschlechtsneutrale Sprache] at Nichtbinär-Wiki

'''Asterisk, Underscore, Punctuation'''

Pronounced as a pause or glottal stop. In between "feminine" and "masculine" ending, the most common version:

* mein_e beste*r Freund:in
Either after the stem - or more realistically at the next best place that has nothing to do with feminine/masculine forms but makes sense for pronunciation:

* mei:ne bes_ter Freun*din
At random places:

* mei*ne best:er Freundi_n
Can be used consistently or mixed up like in the example above.

'''X<ref> http://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel2/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230226234302/https://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel2/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>'''

Pronounced like iks.<ref>http://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel4/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230331104857/https://feministisch-sprachhandeln.org/leitfaden/kapitel4/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

* meinx bestx Freundx
(or e.g. Befreunx to avoid basing it on the masculine form) Or write it as -iks.

* meiniks bestiks Freundiks

'''Shortened words, -ir and -on <ref>https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter</ref> forms.'''

Shorten and/or add -ir or -on to make nouns gender-neutral. -ir works as a gender-neutral ending as it is a combination of -in and -er. -on can be used as an alternative to -ir when a word ends on the letter r.

Shortened
* Gema (Gemahlin/Gemahl)
* Prin/Kronprin
Shortened/-ir/-on
* Begleitir
* Chirurgir
* Cousir/Cousinir
* Doktir/Doktoron
* Freundir
* Gattir (Gattin/Gatte)
* Heiratir
* Könir
* Lehrir/Lehreron
* Partnir
* Professir/Professoron
* Schägir/Schwageron
* Trauzeugir
* Verlobtir
* Witwir

'''Shortened words and nonsense forms <ref>http://nomthecatsaid.tumblr.com/post/124574373381/kennst-du-eine-gute-seite-auf-der-man-sich-%C3%BCber [https://web.archive.org/web/20211114230553/https://nomthecatsaid.tumblr.com/post/124574373381/kennst-du-eine-gute-seite-auf-der-man-sich-%C3%BCber Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>'''

Fairly well known -i words:

* der_die Studi, dix Touri
New words by the same pattern:

* dier Mitbewohni, der*die Kollegi
Use the short -i forms or make up new endings and treat the word as neutrum.

* mein bestes Freundi
* mein liebes Mitbewohnsi
Use -mensch, -menschi, -person:

* das Postmenschi
* meine Liebhabperson
* der liebe Katzenbetreu-Mensch
Or just random words that you think are cute.

* Ich will Fotografierflausch werden.
*
'''"-person" and "-mensch"'''

=== Pronouns ===
''See main article at [[Pronouns#German neutral pronouns|German neutral pronouns]].''
====== dey ======
Suggested by Riley Alexis in August 2016,<ref>Riley Alexis (2024): ''agenderbee.'' Online at:https://www.instagram.com/p/CZgOS9VqGWH/?igsh=MWs1eDVtYjRxMm9weA== (retrieved 21.03.2024).</ref> the "dey"-pronoun seems to be the most widespread nowadays. German translation of ''Starfield'' vom Bethesda Games Studios uses 'dey'/'demm' pronouns to refer to nonbinary protagonists. Some German speaking influencers use them as their pronouns (cf. @kai.isaiah_jamal) and so do other numerous Instagram users (i. e. search for the key words 'dey/dem' in the Instagram search engine). As for series, ''Star Treck Discovery'' uses 'dey' pronouns for their nonbinary/genderless characters.<ref name=":2">Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''Darunter und darüber — "they" Pronomen in Filmen/Serien Deutsch übersetzen''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/darunterdarueber/ (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>

====== sier ======
Ravna Marin Siever, author of the book ''Was wird es denn? Ein Kind! Wie geschlechtsoffene Erziehung gelingt'', uses pronouns from the sier-paradigm for people to refer to them. Several books use 'sier' pronouns.<ref name=":4">Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''DiverserLesen''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/diverserlesen/ (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>

====== xier ======
In the second episode (1:02) of the series ''City of Ghosts'', i. e. ''Stadt der Geister'' in German, Thomas states that their pronoun is 'xier'. The blogger Frau Papa Nina tells in an interview from the podcast ''Das gewünschteste Wunschkind,'' hosted by Danielle Graf and Katja Seide, t

that they use the pronoun 'xier' for themselves.<ref>Frau Papa Nina in conversation (2019): Transsexualität und Diversität. In: Graf, Danielle/Seide, Katja (hosts): ''Das gewünschteste Wunschkind. Der Podcast''. Online at: https://plus.rtl.de/podcast/das-gewuenschteste-wunschkind-3r427sdoc4dw2/transsexualitaet-und-diversitaet-cbin4vimtsr1p (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref> Several books,<ref name=":4" /> series<ref name=":3">Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''Xier Pronomen in Texten, Serien, Filmen und Video Games''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomentexte/ (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref> and video games use 'xier' pronouns. For an exhaustive list, see ''Xier Pronomen in Texten, Serien, Filmen und Video Games'' from Illi Anna Heger.<ref name=":3" />

====== hen ======
In the German version from ''Kivi & Monsterhund'' from Jesper Lundqvist and Bettina Johansson, the protagonist, Kivi, who is referred to with the Swedish gender neutral pronoun 'hen', is referred to with the same pronoun in the German translation from Jochen Barthel.<ref>Lundqvist, Jesper/Johansson, Bettina (2019): ''Kivi & Monsterhund''. Berlin: Maria Benson Verlag.</ref> 'hen' also seems to be used by some bloggers,<ref>Annat75pyz (2023): ''Benutzt du das Pronomen "hen"?''. Online at: https://www.gutefrage.net/sprache-literatur-raetsel/deutsche-sprache/grammatik-rechtschreibung/frage/nenutzt-du-das-pronomen-hen (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref> instagrammers, and to be currently perceived as popular.<ref>Erhardt, Melissa (2022): Dey, Xier, Hen: Was es mit genderneutralen (Neo-)Pronomen auf sich hat. In: ''radio FM4''. Online at: https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3025024/ (retrieved 09.02,2024).</ref><ref name=":1">von Usslar, Maria (2019): Er, sie, they, hen: Wie wollen Trans- und Interpersonen bezeichnet werden? In: ''Der'' ''Standard''. Online at: https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000106804139/er-sie-they-hen-wie-wollen-trans-und-interpersonen-bezeichnet (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>

====== en ======
An important number of the members of the ''Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch'', that is currently growing, uses the en/em forms from the De-e-System as their pronouns.<ref>Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): ''r/geschlechtsneutral''. Online at: https://www.reddit.com/r/geschlechtsneutral/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>

==== Tables ====
The relative pronouns are all similar to the demonstrative pronouns but for the genitive, represented in the last ligne of the table.

Except for the De-e-System (definite article: 'de' [də]; relative and demonstrative pronoun: 'de' [de(:)]), the definite article is similar to the demonstrative personal pronoun.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Primary and demonstrative personal pronouns, relative pronoun and definite article: dominant usage
!
!nom
!acc
!dat
!gen
!gen: relative
!examples
|-
|dey/dej (syncr)<ref name=":6">Pronouns.page (2024): ''dey/denen/demm''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/dey/denen/demm?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref name=":5">Anonym (2017): ''Q: Ein [...] gegeben''. Online at: https://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/post/148742824641/ein-befreundeter-mensch-von-mir-hat-sich-mal (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref name=":7">Pronouns.page (2024): ''dej/denen/dej''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/dej?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|dey/dej
|dey/dej; dem(m) [dɛm]
|denen; demm<ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''Pronomen. dey.'' Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#dey (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|derer/deren
|derer/deren
|'''Dey''' wohnt in '''deren''' eigener Wohnung. Hast du '''demm''' neulich gesehen? Wie geht es '''denen'''?
|-
|sier (ref)<ref name=":8">Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''Version 2.1: sier Pronomen ohne Geschlecht''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen21/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|sier
|sien
|siem
|sieser
| -
|Ich kenne '''sien''' nicht. Ist '''sier''' hier eingezogen?Ich habe noch nie mit '''siem''' gesprochen.
|-
|sier (demonstr.)
|dier
|dien
|diem
| -
|deren
|Mit '''diem''' will ich nichts zu tun haben. '''Dier''' hört mir nie zu!
|-
|xier (ref)<ref name=":9">Heger, Illi Anna (2022): ''Version 3.3: xier Pronomen ohne Geschlecht''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen33/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|xier
|xien
|xiem
|xieser
| -
|Suchst du '''xien'''?'''Xier''' ist im Urlaub.
|-
|xier (demonstr.)
|dier
|dien
|diem
| -
|deren
|Mit '''diem''' will ich nichts zu tun haben. '''Dier''' hört mir nie zu!
|-
|hän<ref name=":10">zweisatz (2011): ''HIGH ON CLICHÉS''. ''Glossar''. Online at: https://web.archive.org/web/20230531034450/https://highoncliches.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/glossar/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref name=":11">Pronouns.page (2024): ''hän/sim''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/h%C3%A4n?erweitert (retrieved 02.09.2024).</ref>
|hän
|sin
|sim
|sirer
| -
|Ich rufe '''sin''' später zurück an, wenn ich mit '''sim''' auch entspannt reden kann.
|-
|nona (ref)<ref name=":12">Pronouns.page (2024): ''hen/hem''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/hen?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref name=":13">Moro, Jona/Frank, Noah (2024): ''Das NoNa-System. geschlechtsneutrale deutsche Grammatik''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutralesdeutsch.com/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|hen
|hen
|hem
|henser
| -
|'''Hen''' lächelt wie du. Bist du mit '''hem''' verwandt?
|-
|nona (demonstr.)
|dai
|dai
|dam
|dais
| -
|'''Dai''' Tankel, '''dai''' neu hier ist, fragt '''dai''' Ompa, '''dam''' ich mal ein Bild geschenkt habe, wie es hem geht.
|-
|g genus (ref)<ref name=":0">Dominik Jahre (2018): ''Das g-Genus. Merkmale des g-Genus''. Online at: https://web.archive.org/web/20231208170044/https://www.geschlechtsneutral.com/index.html (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|hen
|hen
|hem
|henser
| -
|'''Hen''' wohnt mit '''hem''' in einem Reihenhaus.
|-
|g genus (demonstr.)
|dio
|dio
|dero
|dero
|dereno
|'''Dio''' Hansi, '''dereno''' Geschwister ich noch nie getroffen habe, findet '''dio''' Kayan beim Versteckenspielen nie.
|-
|de-e (ref)<ref name=":14">Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): ''De-e-System''. https://geschlechtsneutral.net/gesamtsystem/ (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|en
|en
|em
|enser
| -
|'''Em''' schmeckt mein Essen nie. Ich will '''en''' nicht mehr einladen.
|-
|de-e (demonstr.)
|de [də]/[de(:)]
|de [də]/[de(:)]
|derm
| -
|dersen
|'''De''' Studente, mit '''derm''' ich gestern gesprochen habe, gefällt mir.
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Personal pronouns: peripheral usage
!
!nom
!acc
!dat
!gen
|-
|SYLVAIN-Konvent.<ref name=":16">de Sylvain, Cabala/Balzer, Carsten (2008): ''Die SYLVAIN-Konventionen — Versuch einer "geschlechtergerechten" Grammatik-Transformation der deutschen Sprache.'' Online at: https://web.archive.org/web/20240212004055/https://www.geschlechtsneutral.com/lit/Liminalis-2008-Sylvain-Balzer.pdf (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref> (ref)
|nin
|nin
|nim
|nimser
|-
|SYLVAIN-Konvent.<ref name=":16" /> (demonstr.)
|din
|din
|dim
| -
|-
|sir [zi:ɐ̯]<ref name=":17">Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''sir''. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#sir (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref name=":15">Berliner Morgenpost (2017): ''Das sagen Berliner Experten zum Streit ums dritte Geschlecht''. Online at: https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article212586881/Das-sagen-Berliner-Experten-zum-Streit-ums-dritte-Geschlecht.html (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref> (ref)
|sir
|sihn
|ihrm
|sihrer
|-
|sir [zi:ɐ̯]<ref name=":17" /><ref name=":15" /> (demonstr.)
|dier
|dien
|derm
| -
|-
|hen<ref>Catboy Jaebeom/Fliederfuchs (2023): ''ASTRI'FA | THE BEARER OF STARS''. Online at: https://catboy-jaebeom.tumblr.com/about (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|hen
|han
|ham
| -
|-
|el<ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''el/em''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/el?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref><ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''el''. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#el (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|el
|en
|em
|emser
|-
|ey<ref>Pronouns.page (2024). ''ey/emm''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/ey?erweitert (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref><ref>Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''ey/em''. Online at: https://nibi.space/pronomen#eyem (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>
|ey
|emm
|emm
|eyser
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+(almost) Indeclinable personal pronouns
!
!nom
!acc
!dat
!gen
|-
|ens<ref>Lann Hornscheidt in conversation (2021): ''Debatte um Gendersprache: Sie oder er oder wie? „Ich wünsche mir, dass alle erst mal ens sind“.'' In: ''Berliner Zeitung.'' Retrieved 28.04.2021.</ref><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''ens/ens''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/ens?erweitert (retrieved 10.02.2024).</ref>
|ens
|ens
|ens
|enser
|-
|en<ref name=":1" /><ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''en/en''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/en?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|en
|en
|en
|enser
|-
|iks<ref>Pronouns.page (2024): ''iks/iks''. Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/iks?erweitert (retrieved 09.02.2024).</ref>
|iks
|iks
|iks
|ikser
|}
For an exhaustive list of all existent neopronouns, see https://nibi.space/pronomen#pronomen or https://de.pronouns.page/pronomen

=== Possessive adjectives ===
For the sake of clarity, the neuter grammatical gender is omitted from this table.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Inclusive possessive adjective (ownership of any gender)
!
!nom
!acc
!dat
!gen
|-
|'dey/dej'<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
each gender
| colspan="4" |deren
|-
|'sier' Version 2.1<ref name=":8" />m
f
x
|sies
siese
siesa
|siesen
siese
siesan
|siesem
sieser
siesam
|sieses
sieser
siesas
|-
|'xier' Version 3.3<ref name=":9" />
m
f
x
|xies
xiese
xiesa
|xiesen
xiese
xiesan
|xiesem
xieser
xiesam
|xieses
xieser
xiesas
|-
|'hän'<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11" />m
f
x
|sir
sire
-
|siren
sire
-
|sirem
sirer
-
|sires
sirer
-
|-
|NoNa-System<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":13" />
each gender
| colspan="4" |hens
|-
|g-Genus<ref name=":0" />m
f
x
|hens
hense
henseo
|hensen
hense
henseo
|hensem
henser
hensero
|henses
henser
hensero
|-
|De-e-System<ref name=":14" />
m
f
x 3rd p
x 1rd p
x 2nd p
|ens
ense
ens
unse
eue
|ensen
ense
ens
unse
eue
|ensem
enser
enserm
unsererm
unserers
|enses
enser
ensers
unserers
eurers
|}
The possessiv adjectives 'deren' and 'hens' offer the advantage of being easily learnable. As for the possessives suggested by the g-Genus, aside from appearing on nonbinary grammatical websites, they don't seem to have gained much popularity on online platforms. The possessive adjectives from the 'hän' paradigm are phonetically similar to the ones of the system proposed by Kathrin Kunkel-Razum, the editor-in-chief of the Duden.<ref name=":15" />

=== Article pronouns, possessive pronouns ===
Unlike possessive adjectives ('dein Eis', 'ihr Bleistift', 'unser Löffel'), possessive pronouns ('deins', 'ihrer', 'unserer') stand for the entire possessed object, so they are not followed by a noun or hierarchically tied to one. Thus, they act as an autonomous, unbreakable syntactic unit.

Article pronouns can both function as articles and pronouns without undergoing any formal changes (ex.: Diesen (Pulli) mag ich nicht.).<ref>Ertl, Martin (2022): ''Kasusauffälligkeiten in Lerntexten''. Bielefeld: wbv Publikation, p. 53.</ref> For that reason, demonstratives that also function as pragmatically marked personal pronouns (see table 'Personal pronouns: dominant usage'), are considered article pronouns too, as they can refer to an entire syntagma on their own, or accompany/precede a noun (ex.: Den (Julian) mag ich nicht). In the De-e-system, however, the declension of the demonstrative personal pronoun is different from the other article pronouns.<ref>Verein für Geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V (2023): ''Demonstrativ-/Relativpronomen''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/deklinationstabellen/ (retrieved 28.03.2024).</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Inclusive possessive and article pronouns (genderneutral/-inclusive owned object)'''
!
!nom
!acc
!dat
!gen
|-
|dey/dej<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7" />
| colspan="4" |derer
|-
|nona (ex with jede-r-s) <ref name=":12" /><ref name=":13" />
|jenai
|jenai
|jenam
| -
|-
|g genus (ex with jede-r-s)<ref name=":0" />
|jedeo
|jedeo
|jedero
| -
|-
|de-e (ex with eins-e-er)<ref name=":14" />
|einey
|einey
|einerm
| -
|}
(the other sets don't have data yet to add)

=== '''Indefinite pronoun''' ===
In German, there is the indefinite pronoun "man". This is used in everyday language regardless of gender. But the fact that it sounds exactly like the word "Mann" makes some people uncomfortable. A few decades ago, feminist language critics suggested using alternatives such as "frau" or "mensch". However, the word "frau" only evokes one gender, so it has no real advantage over "man".

From a linguistic history perspective, "man" is an Old High German noun that had the gender-neutral meaning of the word "human" and only later took on the meaning "man" as a noun.

The form "man" is only used in the nominative. In the dative and accusative, the forms "einem" and "einen" are used as indefinite pronouns; there is no genitive form of the indefinite pronoun in German.

"Mensch" and "eins" are suggested alternatives to the subject form of “man”. "einem"/"einen" would stay the same.

=== Titles ===

'''Instead of Frau/Herr'''

* Frann<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany">Nonbinary Trans Germany, "Language." http://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/language [https://web.archive.org/web/20230623035307/https://nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/language Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> - nonstandard
* Ind.<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> von "Individuum", nonstandard
* Mau<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> - nonstandard
* Per - nonstandard
* "Vorname, Nachname" - In vielen Fällen kann und sollte man anstelle eines Ehrentitels der Vor- und Nachname verwenden, z.B. "Kim Müller" statt "Frau/Herr Müller".

'''Professional & Academic Titles'''

* Doctorx<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> - nonstandard
* Professorx<ref name="nonbinarytransgermany" /> - nonstandard
* Professx<ref>http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/wunderbar/gendertheorie-studierx-lann-hornscheidt-ueber-gerechte-sprache-a-965843.html [https://web.archive.org/web/20230421011215/https://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/wunderbar/gendertheorie-studierx-lann-hornscheidt-ueber-gerechte-sprache-a-965843.html Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, abgekürzt Prof. oder Profx. - nonstandard

=== Family, relationship and people terms ===
See also: [https://nibi.space/nichtbin%C3%A4re_w%C3%B6rter Nichtbinäre Wörter] at Nichtbinär-Wiki

'''Parent'''

* Elter - German word for parent, will sound awkward but be recognised
* Elta - nonstandard
* Mapa - nonstandard
* Pama - nonstandard
* Wawa - nonstandard

'''Child'''

* Kind - standard
* Kleines - standard
* Großes - standard
* Enbie, Enby - instead of Mädchen/Junge/Bub, nonstandard
* Spross/nachkomme, means sprogeny/offspring/descendant

'''Aunt/Uncle'''

* Eltergeschwister - nonstandard
* Eltschwister - nonstandard
* Onte - nonstandard
* Pibling - nonstandard
* Tankel - nonstandard
* Tonke - nonstandard

'''Niece/Nephew'''

* Nibling - nonstandard
* Niffe - nonstandard
* Geschwisterkind - nonstandard
* Schwisterkind - nonstandard
* Seitkind - nonstandard
'''Cousin'''

* Batter
* Cousibling
* Cousir/Cousinir
* Seitschwister

'''Grandparent'''

* Großelter - nonstandard, will sound awkward but be understood
* Ohlta - nonstandard
* Opma - nonstandard
* Owa - nonstandard

'''Sibling'''

* Bruderin, Bruder*in - nonstandard
* Brüderin, Brüder*in - nonstandard
* Geschwister - standard, but not commonly used
* Geschwisterchen - standard but old fashioned and usually used for very young siblings
* Große/Ältere Geschwister - big/older sibling
* Kleine/Jüngere Geschwister - little/younger sibling

'''Partner'''

* Brautpartnir - nonstandard
* Eheperson
* Ehepartei
* Eheteil
* Eheherzmensch - married to the heart person
*Eheperson
*Eheherzperson
* Freun - nonstandard
* Freunir/Freundir - nonstandard
* Freund*in
* Gattir - nonstandard, oldfashion, from Gattin/Gatte
* Gema - nonstandard, oldfashion, from Gemahlin/Gemahl
* Gespons - oldfashion
* Heiratir - nonstandard
* Herzmensch - literally heart person, used as a term of endearment
* Liebschaft
* Paarteil
* Partner*in
* Partnir - nonstandard
* Verlobtir - nonstandard
'''In-law'''

* Schwiegerelter - nonstandard, parent-in-law
* Schwiegergeschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwiegerkind - nonstandard, child-in-law
* Schwiegerperson - in-law person
* Schwiegschwister - nonstandard, sibling-in-law
* Schwägir/Schwageron - nonstandard, sibling-in-law

'''Other'''

* Begleitir - nonstandard neutral word for one's company/companion

* Brautentourage - nonstandard neutral word for wedding entourage
* Erwachsene Person - neutral word for adult
* Hauspartnir - nonstandard neutral word for housespouse

* Hauselter - nonstandard neutral word for houseparent
* Jemensch - non-male-generalizing alternative to jemand
* Jugenlicher/Jungere Person - neutral word for youth/young person
* Niemensch - non-male-generalizing alternative to niemand
* Leut - nonstandard singular version of ''Leute''
* Leute - standard word for people
* Trauzeugir - nonstandard neutral alternative to ''trauzeugin/brautjungfern'' and ''trauzeuge(n)''
* Verehrte/Liebe Publikum/Gäste/Leute/Menschen - neutral alternative to "ladies and gentlemen"

* Verheirateten - neutral alternative to married couple
* Witwir - neutral alternative to widowed person/wid
* Älterer person - neutral alternative to old woman and old man

=== Other terms ===
* Bürgir/Bürgeron - nonstandard neutral word for citizen
* Chirurgir
* Doktir/Doktoron
* Kollegir
* Könir - nonstandard neutral alternative to queen (königin) and king (könig)
* Könirlich - nonstandard neutral alternative to royal (königlich)
* Mittbewohnir - nonstandard neutral alternative to mittbewhonerin/mittbewohner
* Lehrir/Lehreron
* Prin/Kronprin - nonstandard alternatives for princess/prince and crownprincess/crownprince. Can also be described as "königlicher Nachkomme" (royal descendant), "königlicher Erbe" (royal heir) or "königliche Partner/Partnir/Gema (durch Heirat)" (royal partner/consort, through marriage)
* Professir/Professoron - nonstandard alternatives for professor
* Schülir/Schüleron - nonstandard alternatives for school-student
* Studentir - nonstandard alternative for student
* Thronfolger - neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince
* Regent/Monarch - standard neutral alternatives to queen and king
* Reich/Könirreich - neutral alternatives to kingdom (königreich)

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of German gender and sex terminology]]
* [[German neutral pronouns]]

== Main resources ==

# Nichtbinär-Wiki (2024): ''Geschlechtsneutrale Sprache''. Online at: https://nibi.space/geschlechtsneutrale_sprache.
# Pronouns.page (2024): ''Liste bekannter Pronomen. Neopronomen.'' Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/pronomen.
# Pronouns.page (2024): ''Wörterbuch für geschlechtsneutrale Sprache.'' Online at: https://de.pronouns.page/substantive.
# Illi Anna Heger (2022): ''Pronomen wie sier und xier''. Online at: https://www.annaheger.de/pronomen/.
# Verein für geschlechtsneutrales Deutsch e. V. (2024): ''De-e-System''. Online at: https://geschlechtsneutral.net/gesamtsystem/.

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]
[[Category:Germany]]
[[de:geschlechtsneutrale_sprache]]

Topic:Z9skt557gyfa8gk9

2026-03-08T19:37:38Z

2a02:a441:28cd:0:681c:e4ca:c2c2:70a0 (talk) commented on "wer, wen, wessen" (halloo! mein deutsch ist nicht so gut daher ertraue ich mirzelf nicht mit diese anderung aber ich rekommendiere ihn wer, wen, wessen etc...)

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:32:15Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|zichzelf
|}
|}
How to read the chosen fonts:

Official;

official/prevalent in some language circles;

''synthetic.''

Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1, diens, hun
|van diegene'','' een eigen'', hun eigen, van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!(for) it
!its
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, een eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the), officially, can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an), officially, can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!to which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, wat die, dit, deze
|waaraan, wat, dat, aan wat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

'''iemand''' > someone

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:30:15Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Indirect or objective */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|zichzelf
|}
|}
How to read the chosen fonts:

Official;

official/prevalent in some language circles;

''synthetic.''

Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1, diens, hun
|van diegene'','' een eigen'', hun eigen, van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!(for) it
!its
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, een eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the), officially, can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an), officially, can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!to which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, wat die, dit, deze
|waaraan, wat, dat, aan wat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:25:44Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Overview */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|zichzelf
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
'''Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic'''''
'''Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.'''
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1, diens, hun
|van diegene'','' een eigen'', hun eigen, van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!(for) it
!its
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, een eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the), officially, can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an), officially, can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, die, dit, deze
|wat, dat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:23:05Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Direct or subjective */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|zichzelf
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
'''Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic'''''
'''Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.'''
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1,diens, hun
|van diegene'','' een eigen'', hun eigen, van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!its
!(for) it
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, een eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the), officially, can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an), officially, can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, die, dit, deze
|wat, dat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:22:05Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Direct or subjective */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|zichzelf
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
'''Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic'''''
'''Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.'''
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1,diens, hun
|van diegene'','' een eigen'', hun eigen, van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!its
!(for) it
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, een eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the) can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an) can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, die, dit, deze
|wat, dat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:19:00Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Direct or subjective */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|zichzelf
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
'''Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic'''''
'''Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.'''
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1,diens, hun
|van diegene'', van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!its
!(for) it
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the) can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an) can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, die, dit, deze
|wat, dat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T19:18:44Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Overview */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===

==== '''Direct or subjective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (subjective or direct reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!
!
!
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar, d'r
|het hare
|zich
|
|
|
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!
!
!
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn, z'n
|het zijne
|zich
|
|
|
|zichzelf
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
'''Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic'''''
'''Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.'''
|Grammatical gender (subjective or direct reference)
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1,diens, hun
|van diegene'', van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!its
!(for) it
!its own, for it
!~its
!itself
|-
|
|het, dat, wat
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|hetgeen, datgeen, hetzelf, zichzelf
|}
1de (the) can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an) can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

==== '''Indirect or objective''' ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered (objective or indirect reference)
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wier
|-
!m
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Grammatical gender (objective or indirect reference)
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|-
!x
!who
!whom
!whose
|-
|
|wie
|aan wie
|wiens (plural wier)
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!which
!which
!of which
|-
|
|dat, die, dit, deze
|wat, dat
|waarvan, wiens, (plural wier) (personifying)
|}
=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

'''zo een (zo'n)''' > such a (degredatory)

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender

2026-03-08T15:25:56Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* See also */

{{personal story
| quote = What is gender after all? It seems to be something so fundamental for our current society that even pronouns are sorted by these criteria. And yet, I realized that despite that, and despite being queer, I didn't have a much better explanation than "It's a social construct and perhaps also some other things."
| name = Nathan
| age = 21
| identity = male
}}
'''Gender''' is a term that encompasses various human traits that, in a given society, are traditionally grouped together.<ref name="who gender">{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender|title=Gender and health|website=World Health Organization|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708180756/https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> These traits can include learned behaviors and roles, biological traits (as understood by society), appearance, and more.<ref name="FYI gender">{{Cite web|url=https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en/what-is-gender|title=What is Gender?|website=The Gender Dysphoria Bible|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629222856/https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en/what-is-gender|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> In Western societies, this notion traditionally corresponds to the binary sexes, [[man]] and [[woman]], though this is not always the case.<ref name=":0">https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gender [https://web.archive.org/web/20230530221745/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gender Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> Many non-Western cultures have [[Gender-variant identities worldwide|traditional genders besides male and female]], and there is a growing number of people, including in Western society, who identify as [[nonbinary]] or [[genderqueer]].

[[Gender identity]] refers specifically to the internal sense of one's gender.<ref name="MorrowMessinger">{{cite book | vauthors = Morrow DF | chapter = Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression. | veditors = Morrow DF, Messinger L | title = Sexual orientation and gender expression in social work practice: working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people | date = 2006 | publisher = Columbia University Press | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-231-50186-6 | pages = 3–17 (8) | quote = Gender identity refers to an individual's personal sense of identity as masculine or feminine, or some combination thereof. | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=irs3BAAAQBAJ&dq=978-0-231-50186-6&pg=PA8 | access-date = 19 December 2021 | archive-date = 19 December 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211219122137/https://books.google.com/books?id=irs3BAAAQBAJ&dq=978-0-231-50186-6&pg=PA8 | url-status = live }}</ref> People who identify with their assigned gender at birth ([[AGAB]]) are referred to as [[cisgender]]; those who do not are referred to as [[transgender]]. People who identify as the other binary gender than what they were assigned at birth are sometimes called binary transgender; those who identify as something else are called nonbinary or genderqueer.<ref name="Reisner and Hughto">{{Cite journal|last=Reisner|first=Sari L.|last2=Hughto|first2=Jaclyn M. W.|date=27 August 2019|editor-last=Shiu|editor-first=Cheng-Shi|title=Comparing the health of non-binary and binary transgender adults in a statewide non-probability sample|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6711503/|journal=PLoS One|volume=14|issue=8|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0221583|pmid=31454395|quote=Non-binary-identified transgender people may have different sociodemographic characteristics than binary transgender people (e.g., those who identify with a binary gender such as transgender men or transgender women).|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409010620/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6711503/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

While the concepts of gender and [[sex]] are related, they are not the same. However, sex, understood as the system to organize certain biological traits (rather than the traits themselves) is also a social construct and a spectrum. While the traits themselves (such as chromosomes or hormones) are biological facts, how they are classified into distinct groups is a social construct.<ref name="Marston">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/depth/2020/03/16/biological-sex-is-social/|title=Sex is biological and gender is social – right?|last=Marston|first=Cicely|date=16 March 2020|website=LSHTM|access-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518031911/https://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/depth/2020/03/16/biological-sex-is-social/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> People who don't fit either category of sex may be called [[intersex]], but the word refers to sex only, not to gender.<ref name="OHCHR intersex">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/intersex-people|title=Intersex people|website=OHCHR|access-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708011645/https://www.ohchr.org/en/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/intersex-people|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

== History of the term ==
Etymologically speaking, "gender" derives from Old French ''gendre'' (in turn deriving from the Latin ''genus'') and used to mean "class or kind of persons or things sharing certain traits". In the 15th century it began to be used as a synonym for ''sex'' until the 20th century, when it began to adopt its current meaning.<ref name="etymonline gender">{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/gender|title=gender (n.)|last=Harper|first=Douglas|website=Etymonline|access-date=28 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705085759/https://www.etymonline.com/word/gender|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> Before then, although gender variance existed around the world, the abstract concept of gender itself didn't exist and was mostly associated with the grammar of certain languages.<ref name="holmes antiquity">{{cite book |last1=Holmes |first1=Brooke |title=Gender: Antiquity and its Legacy |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195380828 |pages=1–2 |chapter=Introduction |quote=For as it turns out, what we call gender is a fairly recent concept. It's not that people in Ancient Greece and Rome didn't talk and think and argue about the categories of male and female, masculine and feminine and the nature and extent of sexual difference. They did in [ways] both similar to and very different from our own. The problem is that they didn't have the concept of gender that has grown so influential in the humanities and the social sciences over the past four decades.}}</ref>

In 1945, psychologist Madison Bentley defined gender in ''Sanity and Hazard in Childhood'' as the "socialized obverse of sex",<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bentley|first=Madison|date=April 1945|title=Sanity and Hazard in Childhood|url=https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1417846|journal=The American Journal of Psychology|volume=58|issue=2|pages=212–246|doi=10.2307/1417846|jstor=1417846|issn=0002-9556|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308100135/https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F1417846|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> and Simone de Beauvoir's 1949 book ''The Second Sex'' is often seen as the beginning of the distinction between the terms ''gender'' and ''sex''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Witt|first=Charlotte E.|url=https://worldcat.org/oclc/780208834|title=Feminist metaphysics: explorations in the ontology of sex, gender and identity|date=2011|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-90-481-3782-4|pages=48|oclc=780208834|access-date=6 September 2021|archive-date=17 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217115729/https://www.worldcat.org/title/feminist-metaphysics-explorations-in-the-ontology-of-sex-gender-and-identity/oclc/780208834|url-status=live}}</ref> In current times, ''gender'' and ''sex'' are frequently used interchangeably, although preserving the distinction is useful, especially for educational purposes.

== Relationship between sex and gender ==
{{Personal story
| quote = Gender is an evolution. Only in death and in objectification is it ever completely resolved.
| age = 26
| identity = Genderfluid
}}
Gender is generally assigned at birth based on the infant's genitalia. Infants with penises are assigned male and infants with vulvae are assigned female. [[Intersex]] infants with ambiguous genitalia are often subjected to surgery meant to give them the appearance of a [[dyadic]] (non-intersex) person. Then they are assigned a gender accordingly.<ref name=":1">https://www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230524070528/https://www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

The majority of people identify with their [[AGAB]], but some do not. In Western society, this makes one transgender. In other cultures, specific gender identities besides male and female are available based on the person's [[AGAB]], their relations to people of other genders, and other factors.<ref name=":1" /> Some intersex people identify as [[intergender]], a nonbinary identity that is tied to one's [[intersex]] status.

Transgender people often experience [[dysphoria]], a dissatisfaction with or disconnect from things associated with their [[AGAB]]. This includes (but is not limited to) desires to have different sex characteristics. It is unclear how much of these desires are due to the conflation of sex and gender in society, and how much is inborn. The treatment for physical dysphoria is physical [[transition]]. Transition for trans women often involves hormone therapy with androgen blockers, estrogen, and/or progesterone;<ref name=":2">http://transhealth.ucsf.edu/trans?page=guidelines-feminizing-therapy [https://web.archive.org/web/20230625201440/http://transhealth.ucsf.edu/trans%3fpage%3dguidelines-feminizing-therapy Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> voice training; facial reconstruction surgery; vaginoplasty; and/or hair removal techniques. Transition for trans men often involves hormone therapy with testosterone; top surgery (breast removal); and/or phalloplasty. Transgender children sometimes go on puberty blockers until they decide whether to undergo hormone therapy, to avoid going through undesirable physical changes during puberty.<ref name=":3">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/when-transgender-kids-transition-medical-risks-are-both-known-and-unknown/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230705180920/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/when-transgender-kids-transition-medical-risks-are-both-known-and-unknown/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> Not all trans people choose to undergo all or any of these treatments, and nonbinary people may also undergo any number of these treatments. Some trans people choose to physically transition despite having no physical dysphoria in order to be socially recognized as the gender they are. This includes acknowledgement from friends, family, coworkers, and strangers, as well as legal documentation.<ref name=":4">http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-for-transgender-person-to-transition-0629167 [https://web.archive.org/web/20230405161216/https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-for-transgender-person-to-transition-0629167 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

== Gender identity ==
{{Main article|Gender identity}}
Gender identity is the internal sense of one's own gender, regardless of physical characteristics, appearance, behaviour or sexual orientation.<ref name="MorrowMessinger"/> People who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth are [[cisgender]], while people whose gender identity differ from their assigned gender are [[transgender]] or [[nonbinary]].<ref group="note">While generally a nonbinary person is transgender by definition, some nonbinary people prefer to avoid the ''transgender'' label for themselves.</ref>

== Gender expression ==
{{Main article|Gender expression}}
Gender expression refers outwardly visible traits that are related to one's gender identity. This includes pronouns, clothes, hairstyle, movements, inflection, speech patterns, and more. People's gender expression generally functions to communicate that person's gender to others via similarities to other people of the same gender, but there are exceptions.<ref name=":5">http://www.lgbtss.dso.iastate.edu/library/education/gi-ge [https://web.archive.org/web/20180902193050/http://www.lgbtss.dso.iastate.edu/library/education/gi-ge Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> People whose gender expression differs from what is expected given their gender are called [[gender nonconforming]]. Sometimes transgender people have gender expressions similar to people of their [[AGAB]] because it is how they grew up presenting, and sometimes transgender people are closeted, and have a gender expression that specifically does not convey their gender to others. Many people simply enjoy playing with gender norms.

== Gender roles ==
{{Main article|Gender roles}}
Gender roles refer to the way society expects people with a certain gender to behave. For example, in the traditional Western binary system, men are expected to be strong and avoid showing their feelings in public while women are expected to be soft and kind. Gender roles don't define one's gender identity, which means that, for instance, somebody can identify as a woman but behave according to the masculine gender roles and vice versa.

== Gender nihilism ==
''Main article: [[Gender nihilism]]''

Gender nihilism is a philosophy based around the idea of getting rid of gender in society altogether. Gender nihilism declares that gender is an instrument created by institutions of power, and believes that the best/only way to get rid of the chains of gender-based oppression is to have the instrument destroyed. It seeks to combat the need for an identity, and believes that identity categories are simply not worth it.

== See also ==
{{Tumblr post|https://nonbinarywiki.tumblr.com/post/181946898088/whats-gender-anyway}}

*[[Sex]]
*[[Binarism]]
*[[Gender identity]], [[gender expression|expression]], [[gender roles|roles]] and [[Gender nihilism|nihilism]]

== Notes ==
<references group="note" />

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Concepts]]
[[de:geschlecht]]

Gender

2026-03-08T15:22:10Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Gender identity */

{{personal story
| quote = What is gender after all? It seems to be something so fundamental for our current society that even pronouns are sorted by these criteria. And yet, I realized that despite that, and despite being queer, I didn't have a much better explanation than "It's a social construct and perhaps also some other things."
| name = Nathan
| age = 21
| identity = male
}}
'''Gender''' is a term that encompasses various human traits that, in a given society, are traditionally grouped together.<ref name="who gender">{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender|title=Gender and health|website=World Health Organization|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708180756/https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> These traits can include learned behaviors and roles, biological traits (as understood by society), appearance, and more.<ref name="FYI gender">{{Cite web|url=https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en/what-is-gender|title=What is Gender?|website=The Gender Dysphoria Bible|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629222856/https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en/what-is-gender|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> In Western societies, this notion traditionally corresponds to the binary sexes, [[man]] and [[woman]], though this is not always the case.<ref name=":0">https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gender [https://web.archive.org/web/20230530221745/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gender Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> Many non-Western cultures have [[Gender-variant identities worldwide|traditional genders besides male and female]], and there is a growing number of people, including in Western society, who identify as [[nonbinary]] or [[genderqueer]].

[[Gender identity]] refers specifically to the internal sense of one's gender.<ref name="MorrowMessinger">{{cite book | vauthors = Morrow DF | chapter = Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression. | veditors = Morrow DF, Messinger L | title = Sexual orientation and gender expression in social work practice: working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people | date = 2006 | publisher = Columbia University Press | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-231-50186-6 | pages = 3–17 (8) | quote = Gender identity refers to an individual's personal sense of identity as masculine or feminine, or some combination thereof. | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=irs3BAAAQBAJ&dq=978-0-231-50186-6&pg=PA8 | access-date = 19 December 2021 | archive-date = 19 December 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211219122137/https://books.google.com/books?id=irs3BAAAQBAJ&dq=978-0-231-50186-6&pg=PA8 | url-status = live }}</ref> People who identify with their assigned gender at birth ([[AGAB]]) are referred to as [[cisgender]]; those who do not are referred to as [[transgender]]. People who identify as the other binary gender than what they were assigned at birth are sometimes called binary transgender; those who identify as something else are called nonbinary or genderqueer.<ref name="Reisner and Hughto">{{Cite journal|last=Reisner|first=Sari L.|last2=Hughto|first2=Jaclyn M. W.|date=27 August 2019|editor-last=Shiu|editor-first=Cheng-Shi|title=Comparing the health of non-binary and binary transgender adults in a statewide non-probability sample|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6711503/|journal=PLoS One|volume=14|issue=8|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0221583|pmid=31454395|quote=Non-binary-identified transgender people may have different sociodemographic characteristics than binary transgender people (e.g., those who identify with a binary gender such as transgender men or transgender women).|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409010620/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6711503/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

While the concepts of gender and [[sex]] are related, they are not the same. However, sex, understood as the system to organize certain biological traits (rather than the traits themselves) is also a social construct and a spectrum. While the traits themselves (such as chromosomes or hormones) are biological facts, how they are classified into distinct groups is a social construct.<ref name="Marston">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/depth/2020/03/16/biological-sex-is-social/|title=Sex is biological and gender is social – right?|last=Marston|first=Cicely|date=16 March 2020|website=LSHTM|access-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518031911/https://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/depth/2020/03/16/biological-sex-is-social/|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> People who don't fit either category of sex may be called [[intersex]], but the word refers to sex only, not to gender.<ref name="OHCHR intersex">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/intersex-people|title=Intersex people|website=OHCHR|access-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708011645/https://www.ohchr.org/en/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/intersex-people|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

== History of the term ==
Etymologically speaking, "gender" derives from Old French ''gendre'' (in turn deriving from the Latin ''genus'') and used to mean "class or kind of persons or things sharing certain traits". In the 15th century it began to be used as a synonym for ''sex'' until the 20th century, when it began to adopt its current meaning.<ref name="etymonline gender">{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/gender|title=gender (n.)|last=Harper|first=Douglas|website=Etymonline|access-date=28 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705085759/https://www.etymonline.com/word/gender|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> Before then, although gender variance existed around the world, the abstract concept of gender itself didn't exist and was mostly associated with the grammar of certain languages.<ref name="holmes antiquity">{{cite book |last1=Holmes |first1=Brooke |title=Gender: Antiquity and its Legacy |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195380828 |pages=1–2 |chapter=Introduction |quote=For as it turns out, what we call gender is a fairly recent concept. It's not that people in Ancient Greece and Rome didn't talk and think and argue about the categories of male and female, masculine and feminine and the nature and extent of sexual difference. They did in [ways] both similar to and very different from our own. The problem is that they didn't have the concept of gender that has grown so influential in the humanities and the social sciences over the past four decades.}}</ref>

In 1945, psychologist Madison Bentley defined gender in ''Sanity and Hazard in Childhood'' as the "socialized obverse of sex",<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bentley|first=Madison|date=April 1945|title=Sanity and Hazard in Childhood|url=https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1417846|journal=The American Journal of Psychology|volume=58|issue=2|pages=212–246|doi=10.2307/1417846|jstor=1417846|issn=0002-9556|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308100135/https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F1417846|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> and Simone de Beauvoir's 1949 book ''The Second Sex'' is often seen as the beginning of the distinction between the terms ''gender'' and ''sex''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Witt|first=Charlotte E.|url=https://worldcat.org/oclc/780208834|title=Feminist metaphysics: explorations in the ontology of sex, gender and identity|date=2011|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-90-481-3782-4|pages=48|oclc=780208834|access-date=6 September 2021|archive-date=17 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217115729/https://www.worldcat.org/title/feminist-metaphysics-explorations-in-the-ontology-of-sex-gender-and-identity/oclc/780208834|url-status=live}}</ref> In current times, ''gender'' and ''sex'' are frequently used interchangeably, although preserving the distinction is useful, especially for educational purposes.

== Relationship between sex and gender ==
{{Personal story
| quote = Gender is an evolution. Only in death and in objectification is it ever completely resolved.
| age = 26
| identity = Genderfluid
}}
Gender is generally assigned at birth based on the infant's genitalia. Infants with penises are assigned male and infants with vulvae are assigned female. [[Intersex]] infants with ambiguous genitalia are often subjected to surgery meant to give them the appearance of a [[dyadic]] (non-intersex) person. Then they are assigned a gender accordingly.<ref name=":1">https://www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230524070528/https://www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

The majority of people identify with their [[AGAB]], but some do not. In Western society, this makes one transgender. In other cultures, specific gender identities besides male and female are available based on the person's [[AGAB]], their relations to people of other genders, and other factors.<ref name=":1" /> Some intersex people identify as [[intergender]], a nonbinary identity that is tied to one's [[intersex]] status.

Transgender people often experience [[dysphoria]], a dissatisfaction with or disconnect from things associated with their [[AGAB]]. This includes (but is not limited to) desires to have different sex characteristics. It is unclear how much of these desires are due to the conflation of sex and gender in society, and how much is inborn. The treatment for physical dysphoria is physical [[transition]]. Transition for trans women often involves hormone therapy with androgen blockers, estrogen, and/or progesterone;<ref name=":2">http://transhealth.ucsf.edu/trans?page=guidelines-feminizing-therapy [https://web.archive.org/web/20230625201440/http://transhealth.ucsf.edu/trans%3fpage%3dguidelines-feminizing-therapy Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> voice training; facial reconstruction surgery; vaginoplasty; and/or hair removal techniques. Transition for trans men often involves hormone therapy with testosterone; top surgery (breast removal); and/or phalloplasty. Transgender children sometimes go on puberty blockers until they decide whether to undergo hormone therapy, to avoid going through undesirable physical changes during puberty.<ref name=":3">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/when-transgender-kids-transition-medical-risks-are-both-known-and-unknown/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230705180920/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/when-transgender-kids-transition-medical-risks-are-both-known-and-unknown/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> Not all trans people choose to undergo all or any of these treatments, and nonbinary people may also undergo any number of these treatments. Some trans people choose to physically transition despite having no physical dysphoria in order to be socially recognized as the gender they are. This includes acknowledgement from friends, family, coworkers, and strangers, as well as legal documentation.<ref name=":4">http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-for-transgender-person-to-transition-0629167 [https://web.archive.org/web/20230405161216/https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-for-transgender-person-to-transition-0629167 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>

== Gender identity ==
{{Main article|Gender identity}}
Gender identity is the internal sense of one's own gender, regardless of physical characteristics, appearance, behaviour or sexual orientation.<ref name="MorrowMessinger"/> People who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth are [[cisgender]], while people whose gender identity differ from their assigned gender are [[transgender]] or [[nonbinary]].<ref group="note">While generally a nonbinary person is transgender by definition, some nonbinary people prefer to avoid the ''transgender'' label for themselves.</ref>

== Gender expression ==
{{Main article|Gender expression}}
Gender expression refers outwardly visible traits that are related to one's gender identity. This includes pronouns, clothes, hairstyle, movements, inflection, speech patterns, and more. People's gender expression generally functions to communicate that person's gender to others via similarities to other people of the same gender, but there are exceptions.<ref name=":5">http://www.lgbtss.dso.iastate.edu/library/education/gi-ge [https://web.archive.org/web/20180902193050/http://www.lgbtss.dso.iastate.edu/library/education/gi-ge Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref> People whose gender expression differs from what is expected given their gender are called [[gender nonconforming]]. Sometimes transgender people have gender expressions similar to people of their [[AGAB]] because it is how they grew up presenting, and sometimes transgender people are closeted, and have a gender expression that specifically does not convey their gender to others. Many people simply enjoy playing with gender norms.

== Gender roles ==
{{Main article|Gender roles}}
Gender roles refer to the way society expects people with a certain gender to behave. For example, in the traditional Western binary system, men are expected to be strong and avoid showing their feelings in public while women are expected to be soft and kind. Gender roles don't define one's gender identity, which means that, for instance, somebody can identify as a woman but behave according to the masculine gender roles and vice versa.

== Gender nihilism ==
''Main article: [[Gender nihilism]]''

Gender nihilism is a philosophy based around the idea of getting rid of gender in society altogether. Gender nihilism declares that gender is an instrument created by institutions of power, and believes that the best/only way to get rid of the chains of gender-based oppression is to have the instrument destroyed. It seeks to combat the need for an identity, and believes that identity categories are simply not worth it.

== See also ==
{{Tumblr post|https://nonbinarywiki.tumblr.com/post/181946898088/whats-gender-anyway}}

*[[Sex]]
*[[Binarism]]
*[[Gender identity]], [[gender expression|expression]] and [[gender roles|roles]]

== Notes ==
<references group="note" />

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Concepts]]
[[de:geschlecht]]

Gender nihilism

2026-03-08T15:11:27Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Practice */

(DISCLAIMER: Near direct copy from lgbtqia.wiki; March 2026)

'''Gender Nihilism''' is a philosophy based around the idea of getting rid of [[gender]] in society altogether. It is rooted in [[anti-humanist]] [[queer]] feminism.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20231220032844/https://automaticwriting1.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/gender-nihilism/</ref>

In this form of nihilism, it is believed that the self is entirely defined by social structure, and that at the core it is nothing until it interacts with said social structure. Gender nihilism focuses on how this philosophy applies to gender specifically, though it can be applied to any aspect of identity.

Gender nihilism declares that gender is an instrument created by institutions of power, and believes that the best/only way to get rid of the chains of gender-based oppression is to have the instrument destroyed. It seeks to combat the need for an identity, and believes that identity categories are simply not worth it.

== Philosophy ==
Gender nihilism does not seek to restrict people's [[Gender Presentation|expressions]], or prevent them from doing what they want with their bodies. These expressions would not disappear but gender nihilism would mean that none of these gendered traits would be gendered. individuals would be free to exist in whatever way they do, without the chains of misogyny, transmisogyny, and heterosexism. Categories like "[[man]]", "[[woman]]", "[[non-binary]]", "[[cis]]", and "[[Transgender|trans]]" would cease to exist and would no longer make sense as categories. As there is no longer gender, there would no longer be gender minorities, and therefore no longer the possibility of gender based oppression.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20190324085436/https://insurrectrans.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/resumiendo-el-nihilismo-de-genero/</ref>

Gender nihilists tend to consider their gender to be whatever they are seen as by those institutions of power. They may also feel [[Gender Apathetic|apathetic]] or distant from the concept of gender and wanting to detach from it altogether. They do not care what gendered terms are used to describe them. They don't want to be men/women, but they accept that since these things are constructs of power, they are men/women for as long as they exist under those institutions of power. They do not necessarily see themselves as [[agender]], but rather see everyone as genderless before interacting with these power structures which impose gender.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20230306064405/https://post-left.fandom.com/wiki/Gender-Nihilism</ref>

Gender nihilism also deals with questions regarding what would have happened in a society with no gender.

== Practice ==
Most commonly, gender nihilists tend to treat every person with disregard to their [[gender identity]]. Gender nihilists do not infer with [[gender expression]]. A common way is to avoid any type of gendering language for everyone.

Examples are:

-Using genderneutral pronouns to everyone (in English).

-Avoiding third person pronoun use altogether (by name repitition or ''-s'').

-Calling strangers "Friend" instead of Mr. or Miss.

-Referring to "females" and "males" only in strict necessary, biological sense (although even sex is sometimes being avoided).

-Asking people to measurements and capabilities based on their physiology rather than their gender or sex (e.g. in queer sporting events, blood donations or suspect descriptions).

-Citing data in genderneutral language when originally written in gendered form.

-Referring to ability of act rather than genus (e.g. "[crime] is most often done by the one with the [genital]")

-Translating genderneutrally to other languages or back.

-Prioritising genderneutral language over third person personal preferences.

== Criticism ==
Many have pointed out that, while the philosophy of "Why is gender necessary?" is fine as a personal philosophy, it should not be forcibly applied to all individuals. For some individuals their gender means a lot to them, and the notion of doing away with gender may invalidate how strongly they identifies with their gender and all the steps they have taken in their transition.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20231108170514/https://automaticwriting1.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/an-annotated-critique-of-alyson-escalantes-gender-nihilism-anti-manifesto/</ref>

That said, many gender nihilist are themselves [[trans*]], non-binary, or queer. Some non-binary individuals may embrace gender nihilism to describe their experience of gender along with possibly being [[gender apathetic]], [[agender]], [[quoigender]], [[gender agnostic]], [[nihilgender]], etc.

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T14:54:49Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Overview */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===
Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic''

Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Gendered pronouns in Dutch
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!who
!whom
!whose
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar
|het hare
|zich
|wie
|wier
|wiens
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!~its
!who
!whom
!whose
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn
|het zijne
|zich
|wie
|wier
|wiens
|zichzelf
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
|Grammatical gender
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|obj. nom
|obj. acc.
|obj. poss.
|refl.
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!~its
!who
!whom
!whose
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1,diens, hun
|van diegene'', van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|wie
|wier
|wiens
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!its
!it
!its own, for it
!~its
!which
!which
!of which
!itself
|-
|
|het
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|dat, die, dit, deze
|dat
|waarvan, wiens (personifying)
|hetgeen, datgeen, het zelf
|}
1de (the) can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an) can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender nihilism

2026-03-08T14:40:32Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: Created page with "(DISCLAIMER: Near direct copy from lgbtqia.wiki; March 2026) '''Gender Nihilism''' is a philosophy based around the idea of getting rid of gender in society altogether. It is rooted in anti-humanist queer feminism.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20231220032844/https://automaticwriting1.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/gender-nihilism/</ref> In this form of nihilism, it is believed that the self is entirely defined by social structure, and that at the core it is n..."

(DISCLAIMER: Near direct copy from lgbtqia.wiki; March 2026)

'''Gender Nihilism''' is a philosophy based around the idea of getting rid of [[gender]] in society altogether. It is rooted in [[anti-humanist]] [[queer]] feminism.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20231220032844/https://automaticwriting1.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/gender-nihilism/</ref>

In this form of nihilism, it is believed that the self is entirely defined by social structure, and that at the core it is nothing until it interacts with said social structure. Gender nihilism focuses on how this philosophy applies to gender specifically, though it can be applied to any aspect of identity.

Gender nihilism declares that gender is an instrument created by institutions of power, and believes that the best/only way to get rid of the chains of gender-based oppression is to have the instrument destroyed. It seeks to combat the need for an identity, and believes that identity categories are simply not worth it.

== Philosophy ==
Gender nihilism does not seek to restrict people's [[Gender Presentation|expressions]], or prevent them from doing what they want with their bodies. These expressions would not disappear but gender nihilism would mean that none of these gendered traits would be gendered. individuals would be free to exist in whatever way they do, without the chains of misogyny, transmisogyny, and heterosexism. Categories like "[[man]]", "[[woman]]", "[[non-binary]]", "[[cis]]", and "[[Transgender|trans]]" would cease to exist and would no longer make sense as categories. As there is no longer gender, there would no longer be gender minorities, and therefore no longer the possibility of gender based oppression.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20190324085436/https://insurrectrans.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/resumiendo-el-nihilismo-de-genero/</ref>

Gender nihilists tend to consider their gender to be whatever they are seen as by those institutions of power. They may also feel [[Gender Apathetic|apathetic]] or distant from the concept of gender and wanting to detach from it altogether. They do not care what gendered terms are used to describe them. They don't want to be men/women, but they accept that since these things are constructs of power, they are men/women for as long as they exist under those institutions of power. They do not necessarily see themselves as [[agender]], but rather see everyone as genderless before interacting with these power structures which impose gender.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20230306064405/https://post-left.fandom.com/wiki/Gender-Nihilism</ref>

Gender nihilism also deals with questions regarding what would have happened in a society with no gender.

== Practice ==
Most commonly, gender nihilists tend to treat every person with disregard to their [[gender identity]]. Gender nihilists do not infer with [[gender expression]]. A common way is to avoid any type of gendering language for everyone.

Examples are:

-Using genderneutral pronouns to everyone (in English).

-Avoiding third person pronoun use altogether (by name repitition or ''-s'').

-Calling strangers "Friend" instead of Mr. or Miss.

-Referring to "females" and "males" only in strict necessary, biological sense (although even sex is sometimes being avoided).

-Asking people to measurements and capabilities based on their fysiology rather than their gender or sex (e.g. in queer sporting events, blood donations or suspect descriptions).

-Citing data in genderneutral language when originally written in gendered form.

-Referring to ability of act rather than genus (e.g. "[crime] is most often done by the one with the [genital]")

-Translating genderneutrally to other languages or back.

-Prioritising genderneutral language over third person personal preferences.

== Criticism ==
Many have pointed out that, while the philosophy of "Why is gender necessary?" is fine as a personal philosophy, it should not be forcibly applied to all individuals. For some individuals their gender means a lot to them, and the notion of doing away with gender may invalidate how strongly they identifies with their gender and all the steps they have taken in their transition.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20231108170514/https://automaticwriting1.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/an-annotated-critique-of-alyson-escalantes-gender-nihilism-anti-manifesto/</ref>

That said, many gender nihilist are themselves [[trans*]], non-binary, or queer. Some non-binary individuals may embrace gender nihilism to describe their experience of gender along with possibly being [[gender apathetic]], [[agender]], [[quoigender]], [[gender agnostic]], [[nihilgender]], etc.

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T14:18:19Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Not official, still very common use genderneutral pronouns */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==

=== Overview ===
Official, official in some language circles, ''synthetic''

Sorted 1st-last based on most use to least popular.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Gender neutral pronouns in Dutch (all singular)
|Grammatical gender
|nom.
|accus.
|poss.
|refl. poss
|refl. nom
|obj. nom
|obj. poss.
|refl.
|-
!f
!she
!her
!her
!hers
!~its
!who
!whose
!herself
|-
|
|zij
|haar
|haar
|het hare
|zich
|wie
|wiens
|zichzelf
|-
!m
!he
!him
!his
!his
!
!
!
!himself
|-
|
|hij
|hem
|zijn
|het zijne
|zich
|wie
|wiens
|zichzelf
|-
!x
!they, who, that
!them, that person
!their, that person's
!theirs
!
!
!
!themself
|-
|
|die, ''hen, ze''
|diegene, ''hen, die''
|de1,diens, hun
|van diegene'', van hen, het hunne''
|zich
|wie
|wiens
|zichzelf
|-
!Objects, concepts and non-domestic animals (traditionally)
!it
!its
!it
!its own, for it
!
!which
!of which
!itself
|-
|
|het
|hem, ''het''
|zijn, een2
|zijn eigen, hun eigen
|zich, het, dat
|dat, die, dit, deze
|waarvan, wiens (personifying)
|hetgeen, datgeen, het zelf
|}
1de (the) can be used to avoid pronoun use in casual ways, for example when the listener has neutralsceptic views; "Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

2een (a or an) can be used in the same sense; singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language); plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

=== '''Use of name''' ===
Like in English, repeating someone's name in third person is very natural to avoid pronoun use. Just like one would for two females or for two females; using pronouns without clear reference to who is usually the prime reason to use names. In genderneutral speech, this problem is very regular.

=== '''Use of -'s, -s and -'''' ===
Unlike English, Dutch does not require each name to add an -s to when creating a possesive marker. Because of different pronunciation rules, names that end with a-, e-, i-, o-, u-, or y- need an -'s when making posessive. When the name ends at an s-, only an ''<nowiki/>''' is marked.

"Ik heb op Hanna's hond gepast." (I watched over Hannas dog)

"Ricky's eerste dans vanavond!" (Rickys first dance tonight!)

"De paus' aankondiging sprak dat katholieke priesters nu ook homohuwelijken mogen zegen." (The Pope's announcement stated that Catholic priests are now also permitted to bless same-sex marriages.)

=== '''Official use''' ===
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate between ''hen'' and ''hem''.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents] Also among ex-colonial migrants, '''die''' is used a lot in common language (as Papiamento and Malay languages don't use gendered pronouns, and, coincidentally, the pronouns for singular they in both those language groups look like ''die''; ''e'' (pronounced /''ei''/) in Papiamento, ''dia'' in Malay languages, variations exist.)

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by [[Gender nihilism|gender nihilists]], to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die is already in use in some ex-colonial migrant families, primarily those whose tongue is not natively Dutch.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a substitute for the male pronoun ''hij''.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die(gene).
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, altough its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' (officially plural) > theirs.

'''diegene''' > that person

=== '''Not official, still very commonly used genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular) (official: zijn)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

'''een (official: zijn)'''> its

singular "Friesland heeft een eigen taal" (Friesland has ''an'' own language);

plural "Ieder gebouw heeft ''een'' eigen voorziening" (every building has ''an'' own provision)

'''de''' '''(official: zijn, haar or diens)''' > their

Jan is ''de'' portemonnee vergeten" (Jan forgot ''the'' wallet).

Iedereen heeft een eigen voorkeur (everyone has their own preference).

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T11:56:31Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate someone's preferences.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents]

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by certain progessive cis people, to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone, sometimes with the exception of people who put pressure on the fact that they want to be called a he or she. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die looks like the Indonesian genderneutral pronoun 'Dia', considering the reflection of descendants of ex-colonies.

-Die also comes close to the Papiamento genderneutral pronoun 'e', (pronounced /ei/), considering the reflection of descendants of ex-colonies.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a male pronoun.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die/hen.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik die/hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens/hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''zelf''' > self

'''het hunne''' > theirs.

=== '''Not official, still very common use genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur. // everyone has their own preference.

official use: "zijn" (his), or "zijn of haar" (his or her)

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T11:41:48Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Official genderneutral pronouns */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate someone's preferences.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents]

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by certain progessive cis people, to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone, sometimes with the exception of people who put pressure on the fact that they want to be called a he or she. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die looks like the Indonesian genderneutral pronoun 'Dia', considering the reflection of descendants of ex-colonies.

-Die also comes close to the Papiamento genderneutral pronoun 'e', (pronounced /ei/), considering the reflection of descendants of ex-colonies.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a male pronoun.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die/hen.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik die/hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens/hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns or pronoun equivalents''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them, themself" or "its, itself", although there is no English word for "zich".

'''(een) ieder(s)''' > every person, everyone's lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who, whose

'''diens''' > their

'''eigen''' > own

'''het hunne''' > theirs.

=== '''Not official, still very common use genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur. // everyone has their own preference.

official use: "zijn" (his), or "zijn of haar" (his or her)

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]

Gender neutral language in Dutch

2026-03-08T11:35:17Z

2A02:A441:28CD:0:681C:E4CA:C2C2:70A0: /* Pronouns */

{{Template:Gender neutral language}}
'''Gender neutral language in Dutch.''' The Dutch language has two or three grammatical genders depending on the geographical area or each individual speaker: common/neuter or masculine/feminine/neuter, although the distinction between masculine and feminine has largely disappeared due to the fact they are grammatically equivalent in almost every aspect. The grammatical gender does not always line up with the natural gender of a word, for example, all diminutive forms are neuter.

==Pronouns==
The Dutch language does not have any official gender-neutral pronouns, although [[nonbinary]] people have adopted other sets of pre-existing pronouns, as well as [[neopronouns]], to work around this issue. A survey by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (''Transgender Network Netherlands'') among 500 people showed that '''hen / hen / hun''' ("they/them/theirs") was in that research the most popular pronoun set, although other options suggested to include ''die'' ("that/who") <ref>https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ [https://web.archive.org/web/20230520060910/https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/non-binair-voornaamwoord-uitslag/ Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>, making '''die / hen / hun'''. Alternatively, '''die / die / diens''' is also an option used. Various other inflections can also be replaced by the corresponding form of "die", depending on the individual's preferences and how natural the sentence sounds in the person's regiolect. For example, some might prefer '''die / hen / diens''' to distinguish the meaning of die and hen.

When spoken, "hen" can really sound like "hem" (him). Therefore the correct pronounciation is really essential to differentiate someone's preferences.

The pronoun "die" is also a normal genderneutral pronoun in the dialects spoken in regions like Twente, de Achterhoek and Drenthe, though in some specific regions only meaning "he". Sometimes "die" is even written as pronounced /tie/, for example when following a word ending with a /d/ or /t/ sound. (Ex. "Den hat tie dat nie meui'n zegg'n", "Then they shouldn't have said that.") [https://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/dialect/Twents]

The use of genderneutral pronouns is also increasingly adopted by certain progessive cis people, to increase usage with the goal of normalizing these words. Others could for example choose to use neutral pronouns on just anyone, sometimes with the exception of people who put pressure on the fact that they want to be called a he or she. This idea is not meant to assume that everyone is genderqueer, but rather to assume that genderneutral pronouns are norm and genderized pronouns are rather something archaic. This process is, however, slow, keeping in mind that genderneutral pronoun options are still not known to all citizens (see #Use of gender and genus in official documents and education).

Arguments for '''hen''' as first person:

-It sounds natural (think about the old pronoun "men")

-Hen is also a synthetic genderneutral pronoun in other Germanic languages, like Swedish and German.

-The traditional use of hen is socially in the process of being replaced with ''hun'', meaning the traditional use is already fading away''.''

Arguments against '''hen''' as first person:

''-''Hen is traditionally (and still officially) used as accusative form of ''ze.''

-By those who support the use of hen as accusative of ze, it can be seen as poor language use.

Arguments for '''die''' as first person:

-Die means that or who.

-Die is already used in east-Dutch dialects as a genderneutral pronoun.

-Die looks like the Indonesian genderneutral pronoun 'Dia', considering the reflection of descendants of ex-colonies.

-Die also comes close to the Papiamento genderneutral pronoun 'e', (pronounced /ei/), considering the reflection of descendants of ex-colonies.

Arguments against '''die''' as first person:

-Die already has two other official uses: that and who.

-In a few dialect regions, die is used as a male pronoun.

-It does not sound natural, primarily to native Dutch people from the Randstad and from Friesland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lacht die/hen.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik die/hen een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt diens/hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van hen.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}
"Die" does not have predicative possessive or reflexive forms and thus these have not been included in the table.

===Use of "ze"===
Use of "ze" is also possible in most cases, its use generally considered informal<ref>https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 [https://web.archive.org/web/20220322025839/https://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/374 Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>. It works the same as "they" in English, you use it as if you were referring to a group of people and conjugate the verb accordingly.

There is discussion around the use of "ze", since the word for she is also "ze". Some would argue that this is easy to distinct since the verb changes in plural form, too. Thus, making it easier to differentiate.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Dutch sample sentence
|-
|Nominative
|Wanneer ik iemand een grap vertel, lachen ze.
|-
|Accusative
|Wanneer ik een vriend begroet, geef ik ze een knuffel.
|-
|Pronominal possessive
|Wanneer iemand niet naar de kapper gaat, wordt hun haar lang.
|-
|Predicative possesive
|Wanneer ik een GSM nodig heb, leent mijn vriend me die van ze.
|-
|Reflexive
|Elk kind voedt zichzelf.
|}

=== '''Official genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''zich, zichzelf''' > equivalent to "them(self)".

'''(een) ieder''' > every person lit. each/every/other (one)

'''wie, wiens''' > who whose

'''diens''' > their

=== '''Not official, still very common use genderneutral pronouns''' ===
'''hun (singular)''' > their (sing.)

example: iedereen heeft hun eigen voorkeur. // everyone has their own preference.

official use: "zijn" (his), or "zijn of haar" (his or her)

==Family and relationship terms==
===Parent===
* '''Ouder.''' Neutral, formal.
* '''Ouda.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Mapa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Pama.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Wawa.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.
* '''Ren.''' Neutral, informal, nonstandard.

=== Partner ===

*'''Vriend.''' Word for platonic friend or romantic partner. Has masculine connotations.
*'''Vrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for platonic friend or romantic partner.
* '''Lief.''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual.
* '''Schat(je).''' Neutral word for romantic partner. Casual. Also in use for friendly occasions.
* '''Partner.''' Neutral word for (romantic, wedded, or otherwise) partner. More formal.
* '''Huwelijkspartner.''' Neutral word bride and groom.
* '''Bruidspartner.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a spouse-to-be/marrier/nearlywed-person.
* '''Eega.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Gade.''' Archaic, formal, neutral word for wedded spouse.
* '''Levenspartner.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/life partner. More formal.
* '''Wederhelft.''' Neutral word for wedded partner/"better half"/significant other.
* '''Metgezel.''' Status- and gender-neutral word for someone's accompanying person.

=== Wedding words ===

* '''Getrouwde/Eega's/Gaden/Levenspartners.''' Neutral words to refer to two spouses/maritial partners.

* '''Bruidsgevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for bridesmaids and groomsmen, the bridalpair's entourages.

* '''Respektieve gevolg.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for the respective entourages of a marrying couple, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

* '''Bruidsgevolger.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word to refer to one person in the bridalpair's entourage.

* '''Erepersoon/Erevriend/Erevrien.''' Nonstandard. Neutral word for a maid of honor (/hoofbruidsmeisje) or a best man (/hoofdbruidsjonker).

===Child===
* '''Baby.''' Standard neutral word for very young offspring or very young people.
* '''Jonkie.''' Standard, somewhat slang-y neutral word for young people.
* '''Kind.''' Standard gender neutral word for a young person or an offspring. Implied age isn't adult, but may be.
* '''Kleinkind.''' Standard gender neutral word for the child of someone's child.
* '''Kleine/Kleintje.''' Literally "little one", neutral word for a very young child or young offspring.
* '''Peuter.''' Neutral word for a baby. (Child of ~1 to ~3 years old.)
* '''Kleuter.''' Neutral word for a toddler. (Child of ~3 to ~6 years old.)
* '''Tiener.''' Neutral word for a teenager. (Child of ~10 to ~18 years old.)
* '''Telg/nageslacht, afstammeling.''' Neutral, basically means scion/progeny and descendant, alternatives (that might sound weird) to refer to someone in relation to them being one's child, but not necessarily a young one.

=== Siblings and related family ===

* '''Sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage. Dutch does not have a standardized word for sibling, but "sibbeling" has been suggested as a neutral option to zus/broer (sister/brother). [https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/04/heb-je-ook-sibbelings/][https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/sibbeling]
-Also possible as '''Sibbel'''

-In psychology and healthcare, certain conditions between siblings are also called as e.g. "sibling[geweld]". [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblinggeweld] Therefore being an example that "'''sibling'''" can also be a Dutch noun.
* '''Kleine/jongere/jongste sibbeling, middelste sibbeling, grote/oudere/oudste sibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from ”sibbeling”, means little/younger/youngest sibling, middle sibling and big/older/oldest sibling.

'''NOTE:''' There are no neutral alternatives like English's nibling, cousin or pibling for Dutch's nichtje/neef (niece/nephew/cousin) or tante/oom (aunt/uncle). One could instead use descriptive phrases such as "kind van mijn sibbeling" (child of my sibling, nibling), "kind van mijn ouders sibbeling" (child of my parent's sibling, cousin) or "sibbeling van mijn ouder" (sibling of my parent, pibling)

Alternatives to other relatives that don't have a standard genderneutral word:

'''*Neef/Nicht''' (can mean either cousin or niece/nephew)

-Neecht

-Nibling

'''*Tante/Oom''' (aunt/uncle)

-Titi

-Pibling

'''*EDITOR'S NOTE''': please add more alternatives if you have availability to more.

=== Grandparents ===

* '''Grootouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for grandparent.
* '''Grootie.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Opma.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Owa.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.
* '''Obi.''' Nonstandard. Neutral informal word for grandparent, grandy or grandma/grandpa.

=== In-law family ===

* '''Schoonouder.''' Neutral Dutch word for parent-in-law.
* '''Schoonkind.''' Neutral Dutch word for child-in-law.
* '''Schoonsibbeling.''' Nonstandard, low-usage, inferred from "schoon-" (in-law) and ”sibbeling”, means sibling-in-law.
=== Other terms ===
* '''Volwassene.''' Neutral word for an adult. (Person of ~18 to ~65 years old.)
* '''Senior.''' Neutral word for a senior. (Person of ~65 to often the end of their lifespan.)
* '''Huispartner.''' Neutral word for housespouse.
* '''Thuisblijvende ouder.''' Neutral word for stay-at-home parent.
* '''Weduwpersoon.''' Neutral word for a widowed person.
* '''Weduw.''' Neutral word for a widowed person. Nonstandard

* '''Troonopvolger.''' Neutral word for crownprincess/crownprince.
* '''Koninklijke afstammeling.''' Low-usage, means royal descendant. This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Koninklijke eega/gade (door huwelijk).''' Low-usage, eega/gade are archaic words, means royal spouse (through marriage). This is a descriptive phrase that can be used instead of the gendered words prinses/prins (princess/prince).
* '''Monarch.''' Low usage middle-Dutch word that can be used as a neutral alternative to queen/king, means monarch.
* '''Jullie/Allemaal/Mensen/Vrienden.''' Neutral way of calling multiple people instead of saying girls and/or guys.
* '''Huisgenoot''', Neutral word for housemate.

=== Professions/Roles ===

* '''Barwerker, barpersoon.''' Nonstandard alternatives for barvrouw/barman (barwoman/barman) using the inferred neutral words "-werker" (-worker) and "-persoon" (-person) to make it neutral.
* '''Brandweer/Brandweermens, brandweerlieden/brandweermensen.''' Neutral words for brandweervrouw(en)/brandweerman(nen) (firewoman/fireman and firewomen/fireman).
* '''Huisbaas/Hospite.''' Neutral words for hospita/hospes (property owner). In old Dutch the word 'Huisbaar' was used but in recent times the word 'Huisbaar' has been almost entirely replaced with the word 'Huisbaas' which translates to 'Homeboss'.
* '''Kassamedewerker.''' Neutral words for kassière/cassière/kassier (cashier).
* '''Leerkracht/Leraar.''' Neutral words for lerares/leraar (teacher).
* '''Auteur/Schrijver.''' Neutral words for schrijfster/schrijver (author).
* '''Verloskundige.''' Neutral word for "vroedvrouw" (midwife).
* '''Verpleegkundige.''' Neutral word for verpleegster/zuster/verpleger/broeder (nurse).

'''Alternatives for calling a group of people'''

Somewhat archaically speaking, people could call upon a group of people by saying "jongens" (lit. boys) no matter their gender.

Instead one might say "vrienden" (friends), or in an academic setting "studenten"/"leerlingen" (students). In a business setting; "werknemers"/"collega's" (employees/coworkers) is most appropriate.

Alternative for 'Dames en heren' (ladies and gentlemen): "luisteraars"/"aanwezigen" (listeners/attendees).

== Ethnicity ==
To accord ethnic names, it is considered most [[gender-nonconfirming]] to stick to the male version, as the female alternative versions are only ~40-50 years old now. However, some ethnic names like "Engelsman" contain the word "man", so it is considerd most genderneutral to take the a new version (Engelse). For all country origins, this works the same. Some countries that end in a vowel, like Aruba or Djibouti, are harder to pronounce when conjugated, so it is also common to say something like: "Ik kom uit... [land van geboorte]" (translated: "I'm from... [country of origin]"). Instead, use the same word for languages, such as: "Ik ben Duits" (translated: I am German). If you come from a country that uses multiple languages, you can most often use the conjugation in some form of '''Country + -s''', like: "Ik ben '''Zuid-Afrika'''''an'''''s'''). This will always be genderneutral as a standard.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|France
|Fransman
|Française
|Franse
|-
|Germany
|Duitser
|Duitse
|Duitser
|-
|Belgium
|Belg
|Belgische
|Belg
|-
|England
|Engelsman
|Engelse
|Engelse
|-
|Suriname
|Surinamer
|Surinaamse
|Surinamer
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesiër
|Indonesische, Indonees
|Indonesiër
(or 'Indo' from colonial ages)
|-
|Spain
|Spanjaard
|Spaanse
|Spanjaard
|-
|Italy
|Italiaan
|Italiaanse
|Italiaan
|-
|Switzerland
|Zwitser
|Zwitserse
|Zwitser
|}

== Alternatives for nouns using a genderized prefix or suffix ==

* Bemanning (crew) > crew, ploeg, personeel
* Broederliefde (Brotherly love) > Naastenliefde, siblingliefde
* Damesbroek (Pants without pockets) > Zakloze broek
* Dienstmeisje > Huishouddienst, diener
* Dochteronderneming (subsidiary) > Onder- of kindonderneming
* Huisvrouw > Klusjesmens
* Jongensdroom (Lit. Boyhood dream) > Kinderdroom
* Keukenprinses > Uitbundige kok
* [aantal] man ([amount] of people) > [aantal] mensen
* Meisjesnaam (Maiden name/ birth family name) > Achternaam bij geboorte
* Men (a somewhat archaic pronoun) (One, people, they) > Mensen, ze
* Moederbedrijf (Parental company) > Ouderbedrijf, bovenbedrijf
* Moederbord (Main board) > Systeembord, ''main board'', mobo
* Moedermelk (Breast milk) > Borstvoeding
* Moeder Natuur (Mother Nature) > de (vrije) natuur [God, de Boeddhanatuur, de Dao/Tao]
* Moedertaal (Mother tongue/native tongue) > Ondertaal, eigen taal, geboortetaal
* Moederskind / Vaderskind (mother's child, father's child) > lieveling van ... ouder
* Moedervlek (Birth mark) > Geboortevlek
* Nichterig (lit. [f] Cousin-like, meaning: sissy) > Arrogant, verwaand
* Omafiets/Damesfiets (Specific bicycle) > Opstapfiets, ouderwetse fiets
* Opagrappen (Dad jokes) > Pannenkoekgrappen, flauwe humor
* Paardenmeisje (Horse girl) > Paardenverzorger
* Vaderland (Fatherland/Homeland) > Thuisland, geboorteland
* Waterman (Aquarius) > Aquarius
* Zusterstam (Sister tribe) > Siblingstam

== Gender in religion ==
In Abrahamic [[Religion|religions]], like Judaism, Christianity and the Islam, God is [[agender]]. Yet, in the Dutch language, like in English, God is referred to as a male figure in almost every verse of the Qu'Raan, Bible and Tenach. Since the gender revolution, this has been raising questions in society. For more info on this topic, look at the source of this paragraph. The Dutch language is not different to this issue to English and modern spoken Latin languages. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God]

== Honorary titles ==
'''"First-name last-name".''' In many cases, the first and last name can and should be used instead of an honorary title e.g. Kim Jansen instead of ''mevrouw''/''meneer'' Jansen.

But the use of '''"Mx. last-name"''' is also becoming more common.

In justice, whether the judge is a male or a female, they are always referred to as "de Heer", meaning "~Mister". Even though this is genderneutral, feminists can still argue that this is still genderizing language. As an alternative, you may refer to them as the options given above.

Alternatively, an increase of manicipalities avoid the use of gendered honory titles altogether. The most common way of doing this is: "Beste K. Jansen" (Dear K. Jansen).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Male
!Female
!Genderneutral
|-
|Salutation
|Mr., Dr. (archaic), Dhr.
|Mw.
|Mx.
|-
|In full
|Meneer, Dokter, de Heer
|Mevrouw
|Mix (not really used in speech)
|}

== Use of gender and genus in official documents, speech and education ==
In high schools, teachers are not allowed to confirm neo-genderneutral language as valid in CE (Centraal Examen) exams, since it is viewed as incorrect by the state. They can, however, still allow students to make use of this type of language, if at SE (School Examen) exams. This is a choice of their own, and are still legally not required to check it in favor of neo-genderneutral language.

In elementary school, genderneutral pronouns are still not a part of the curriculum. Teachers have the option to teach, but are not required to. This is part of the reason why still a lot of Dutch speakers are not aware of genderneutral pronouns.

In biology, the Dutch refer to 'man' and 'vrouw' (aka 'geslacht'; genus) to specifically state XY or XX chromosomes. Although genus is built out of ten different components (like facial hair, body structure, etc. NB: 11 when one counts gender), the State refers specifically to the chromosomes as an indicator for [[genus]]. This is similar to the English "use of "male" and "female".

When talking about animals, we tend to use diminutives, like "mannetje" and "vrouwtje", just like the Dutch commonly differentiate animals on in different contexts (e.g. through words like "bek", "ras", "voer" and "poot"). NB: Using a diminutive for your partner is therefore also seen as something playful rather than serious matter. The Dutch refer to animals (since they are seen as objects) with hij/hem/zijn, unless there is a specific reason to assume that the animal is female, therefore zij/haar is used.

On official documents like passports, identification cards (IDs), driver's license and other official documents is the use of gender and genus a bit confusing to about just anyone. For example, IDs show as options for genus: 'M/V/X'. According to science, genus will never change with our modern-day knowledge, and thus would mean that people with XX will get assigned a 'V', XY will get an 'M' and people with any other natural variations of chromosomes will receive an 'X'.

But, whenever one has gone through a process of changing that letter, which is legally possible, their letter will now be matching their ''gender identity'', but still, the genus will not change. This is stated as confusing, and is not agreed to by many, since genus will never change. Debates on how to approach this linguistic issue is still in progress.

Possible outcomes could be:

# a new line with 'gender: M/V/X', in addition to the genus line;
# changing the word "genus" for "gender" or "gender identity";
# removing the M/V/X row altogether.

Next to that, the leading dictionary for the Dutch language, VanDale, describes gender (in their free online dictionary) as:

"''gen·der (het; o)''

''1 geslacht, sekse''

''2 geslacht waarvan iem. het gevoel heeft deel uit te maken''

''3 alles wat bij het man- of vrouw-zijn hoort, alle seksegebonden eigenschappen''"<ref>https://www.vandale.nl/gratis-woordenboek/nederlands/betekenis/gender</ref>

This may lead to confusions, since gender and genus used to be synonyms of one another (see option 1). In modern-day society, when we refer to gender, we use only option 2 to describe this. Option 3 is only the description of genus.

For laws focussing on people with certain genus organs, the words "man" and "vrouw" tend to be left out. For example "zwangerschapsverlof" (pregnancy permit) instead of "moederschapsverlof" (mother permit) and "ouderschapsverlof" for the non-pregnant partner. For rulings on abortion, the focus lies more on the uterus than someone's genus or gender identity. Also here, the word "vrouw" tend to be left out, though not completely removed.

== See also ==
* [[Gender neutral language]]
* [[Glossary of Dutch gender and sex terminology]]
* [[Pronouns]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nl.pronouns.page nl.pronouns.page], a website about gender neutral pronouns in Dutch

[[Category:Gender neutral language]]