Grammatical gender and sex

have little to do with one

another. The terms "masculine,"
"feminine," and "neuter" are
conventions for grammarians,
not biologists. Even after
recognizing that, learners of
German will soon discover that common sense is still not always a
good guide in figuring out whether a noun is der,
die, or das. Mostly, you just have to learn a noun's gender (and
plural) along with the word itself.
There are, however, a few categories that might be of help.
Masculine:

male humans and animals: der Mann

[man], Knig [king], Vater [father],
Lwe [lion], Br [bear]
days, months, seasons of the year,
points of the compass: der Sonntag
[Sunday], Mrz [March], Herbst
[autumn], Osten [East]
But: das Jahr [year], die Woche
[week] (but: der Mittwoch
[Wednesday])
forms of precipitation, kinds of wind: der Regen [rain], Schnee [snow],
Hagel [hail], Fhn [fhn], Monsun [monsoon], Orkan [hurricane].
five words ending in -ee: der Kaffee [coffee], Klee [clover], Schnee [snow],
Tee [tea], See [lake] (but note: die See [sea])
most nouns that are derived from strong verbs but have no suffix: der Kauf
[purchase], Wurf [throw], Sprung [jump], Riss [rip], Gang [gait]. Exception:
das Schloss [lock; castle]
most nouns ending in the suffixes -er, -el, -ling: der Lehrer [teacher],
Wecker [alarm clock], Fremdling [stranger], Feigling [coward], Schlssel
[key]
But: die Trommel [drum], die Butter [butter], das Fenster [window], die
Schwester [sister], die Mutter [mother], das Wetter [weather], das Zimmer
[room]

most nouns ending in -en: der Boden [floor; ground; soil], Regen [rain],
Wagen [car; wagon].
nouns with the suffixes -ant, -ar, -r, -ent, -eur, -ier, -ist, -or, -ismus: der
Spekulant [speculator], Kommissar [commissar], Volontr [trainee], Friseur
[barber], Student [student], Offizier [officer], Tourist [tourist], Lektor
[(publisher's) editor; adjunct teacher], Kapitalismus [capitalism].
brands of car: der Mercedes, Porsche, Ford

Neuter:

many offspring of humans and

animals: das Kind [child], Kalb [calf],
Kken [chick], Lamm [lamb].

names of animals that include both

male and female: das Pferd [horse],
Schwein [pig], Schaaf [sheep].
But: der Fisch [fish], der Hund [dog],
die Maus [mouse], die Schlange [snake]

names of cities, continents, and most

countries: das alte Berlin [old Berlin],
Asien [Asia], Frankreich [France].
But: der Irak, der Iran, der Libanon; die Schweiz [Switzerland]; and
countries ending in -ei: die Trkei [Turkey]. For more information on using
articles with geographic locations, see http://faql.de/grammatik.html#geo.
metals und chemical elements: das Gold [gold], Silber [silver], Eisen [iron],
Blei [lead], Chrom [chromium], Uran [uranium].
But: der Stahl [steel], der Schwefel [sulphur], die Bronze [bronze]
all words that are from other parts of speech that are used as nouns but do
not signify people: das Essen [food; meal], Leben [life], Rauchen [smoking],
das Ich [ego], das Schne [Beauty; the Beautiful], das Wenn und Aber [if
and but], das Blaue [blue yonder], das A und das O [the alpha and omega].
collective nouns: das Volk [folk], Gebirge [(group of) mountains], Besteck
[cutlery], Geschirr [crockery, dishes].
But: der Gesang [song, singing].
numbers when they indicate a set (of people, years, etc.): das Duo [duet],
das Quintett [quintet], das Jahrzehnt [decade], das Dutzend [dozen], das
Jahrhundert [century], das Jahrtausend [millenium].
nouns with the suffixes -chen, -lein and -sel: das Mdchen [girl], Frulein
[Miss], Rtsel [puzzle].
nouns with the suffixes -ett, -ment and -um: das Ballett [ballet], Sonnett
[sonett], Sakrament [sacrament], Parlament [parliament], Neutrum [neuter],
Helium [helium].

Feminine:

female humans and animals, often

with -in: die Frau [woman],
Tochter [daughter], Kuh [cow],
Lehrerin [teacher], rztin [doctor],
Wlfin [she-wolf].
numbers and digits: die Eins [1],
die Siebzehn [17], die
Zweiundzwanzig [22].
But: see above concerning sets.
names of ships and airplanes: die
Bismarck, die Europa, die Boeing.
a great many words that end in e: die Wanne [tub], Birne [pear],
Tasse [cup], Zahnbrste
[toothbrush], Wiese [meadow].
But: some are masculine: der
Name [name], Junge [boy], Lwe
[lion], Hase [rabbit, hare], Kse
[cheese].
all with the suffixes -ei, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -t, -ung: die Bckerei [bakery],
Krankheit [disease], Freundlichkeit [friendliness], Gesellschaft [society;
company], Fahrt [trip], Wohnung [apartment; abode].
But: der Sprung [jump (Here the "ung" is not a suffix; the noun comes from
the verb "springen")].
all with the suffixes -age, -enz, -esse, -euse, -ie, -ik, -ion, -itis, -tt, -ur usw.:
die Reportage [report], Lizenz [license], Delikatesse [delicacy], Friseuse
[female barber], Melodie [melody], Politik [politics, policy], Nation
[nation], Gastritis [gastritis], Universitt [university], Natur [nature].

The future is feminine, and so is the past!

Controversies:
There are even some nouns about which native speakers don't
agree. Some differences are regional. In Austria and Upper
Bavaria, for example, it is possible to say "der Radio," rather than
"das." Sometimes the importation of a new word into the

language creates uncertainty. For a discussion of some of these

problems, see http://faql.de/genus.html