Masculine nouns describe male people or animals, as well as professions generally performed by men, such as a tamar “smith”. They invariably have a long or short u, ô or a in their final syllable, since i and ê are regarded as feminine (SD/427).

Where masculine nouns are produced by suffixion, they end in either the long vowels -û, -ô or one of the “masculine” consonants k, r, n or d (SD/427).

Some masculine nouns are produced from common nouns with the addition of the masculine suffix -û or its variant -ô.

Others nouns are naturally masculine, including all personal names of men.