Russian word gender distribution doesn't seem to be random at all. Rather, it has a kind of an ironic logic to it. A tomato, for example, is a lonely guy among the majority of female berries and veggies. It was introduced to Europe in the 1800's by a couple of Catholic priests, and it became immediately associated with werewolves and avoided. This mistrust probably got the tomato its masculine gender: помидор - pomidor. Their shapes could have had a bearing on the genders of these two: a pear - груша / grusha (fem.) and a cucumber - огурец / oguretz (masc.)
The elegant trees such as: birch - берёза /beryoza, willow - ива /iva are feminine, and the trees that grow real big and stout around the circumference, like: baobab - баобаб, oak - дуб /dub are masculine. Many hardy and poky weeds are masculine, such as a dandelion - одуванчик / oduvanchik (which is funny, because a dandelion has been used as a symbol of masculinity and promiscuity by some), burdock - репейник / repeinik, cactus - кактус / kaktus. The fat, stocky mushrooms are masculine, except for the cute little chanterelle - лисичка / lisichka ( a little fox ) or colorful russula - сыроежка / siroezhka.
The basic conditions for life are feminine: a planet - планета /planeta, a star - звезда /zvezda, mother earth - матушка земля /matushka zemlya, water - вода /voda, nature's power - стихия /stihiya, blood - кровь /krovj, life - жизнь /zhiznj, a particle - частица /chastiza, acid/amino acid - кислота /kislota, a molecule - молекула /molekula, amoeba - амёба /amyoba, a living cell - клетка. The most important things in life are also feminine: love - любовь /lyubovj, freedom - свобода /svoboda, soul - душа /dusha. The word science - наука /nauka, as well as all the specific sciences are feminine: physics - физика /fizika, math - математика /matematika, psychology - психология /psihologia, and so forth.
Basic necessary staple foods, veggies, fruits and berries are mostly feminine: - слива / potato - картошка /kartoshka, cereal - каша /kasha, corn - кукуруза /kukuruza, wheat - ршеница /psheniza, lentils - чечевица /checheviza, carrot - морковка /morkovka, turnip - репа /repa, beet - свёкла /svyokla, grain - крупа /krupa, flower - мука /muka, cabbage - капуста /kapusta (Strangely, a cucumber - огурец /ogurez is masculine, but it sort of makes sense in a perverted sort of way...), fish - рыба /riba, as well as domesticated meets: beef - говядина /govyadina, pork - свинина /svinina, chicken - курица /kuriza. Meets from the wild game are masculine: deer - олень /oljenj, moose - лось /losj, rabbit - заяц /zayaz, goose - гусь /gusj. Interestingly, all the animals that became domesticated (native to Russia, of course) are feminine: cow - корова / korova, horse - лошадь / loshadj, pig - свинья / svinja, sheep - овца /ovtza, cat - кошка /koshka, dog - собака /sobaka.
Not so necessary food items like spices and deserts, and items that are painful (spicy) or unhealthy to eat are mostly masculine: sugar - сахар /sahar, pepper - перец /perez, onion - лук /luk, garlic - чеснок / chesnok, liquor - ликёр /likyor, tea - чай /chai, coffee - кофе /kofe, pie - пирог /pirog, cake - торт /tort, poison - яд /yad, syrup - сироп /sirop, cream - крем /krem.
The basic common berries are feminine: blueberry - черника, strawberry - клубника, raspberry - малина, cranberry - клюква.
All the exotic fruits grown in warm climates are masculine: orange - апельсин /apeljsin, pineapple - ананас /ananas, banana - банан /banan, watermelon - арбуз /arbuz, grapes - виноград /vinograd.
An apple is neuter, probably because the good Christians were ambivalent about it, causing the fall of men and such.
People were even more ambivalent and mistrustful of a tomato when it got introduced to eastern Europe in 1800's. It was thought to be evil, possibly connected to werewolves. Read this article about the exciting history of tomato.
The only exception to the food logic, where there is a sort of a reversal happening is: soft white bread is feminine: булка /bulka, but healthier dark rye bread is masculine: хлеб /hleb. This is understandable, since it is only lately that white bread became truly unhealthy by being made from refined flower. In the old days it was most likely just as healthy as the dark bread, but became feminine due to its refinement.
What about the abstract concepts?
Good - добро /dobro and evil - зло /zlo, loneliness - одиночество /odinochestvo, happiness - счастье /schastje, feeling - чувство /chustvo, cheer - веселье /veselje - those words are neuter.
Problems and suffering are mostly feminine (could that be, that women were mostly burdened with them?) : problem - проблема /problema, задача /zadacha, illness - болезнь /boleznj, tragedy - беда /beda, трагедия /tragedia, sadness - грусть /grustj, tear - слеза /sleza, pain - боль /bolj, death - смерть /smertj, old age - старость /starostj, struggle - борьба /borjba, the plague/pox - чума /chuma.
There are a few words that are always only plural (like in English), because they can't be divided, such as: pants - штаны /shtani, slacks - брюки /brjuki, pantyhose - колготки /kolgotki, glasses - очки /ochki. Anything that comes in pairs but can be divided, such as shoes, rails, socks, gloves can be both plural and singular, but not those few words. The sleeves are interesting, because they can't be divided any easier than pants, but they can be spoken of separately, as each sleeve. This is possibly because at some lengthy period in history long sleeves were detachable - tied to the body of a coat by strings like shoe laces.
The elegant trees such as: birch - берёза /beryoza, willow - ива /iva are feminine, and the trees that grow real big and stout around the circumference, like: baobab - баобаб, oak - дуб /dub are masculine. Many hardy and poky weeds are masculine, such as a dandelion - одуванчик / oduvanchik (which is funny, because a dandelion has been used as a symbol of masculinity and promiscuity by some), burdock - репейник / repeinik, cactus - кактус / kaktus. The fat, stocky mushrooms are masculine, except for the cute little chanterelle - лисичка / lisichka ( a little fox ) or colorful russula - сыроежка / siroezhka.
The basic conditions for life are feminine: a planet - планета /planeta, a star - звезда /zvezda, mother earth - матушка земля /matushka zemlya, water - вода /voda, nature's power - стихия /stihiya, blood - кровь /krovj, life - жизнь /zhiznj, a particle - частица /chastiza, acid/amino acid - кислота /kislota, a molecule - молекула /molekula, amoeba - амёба /amyoba, a living cell - клетка. The most important things in life are also feminine: love - любовь /lyubovj, freedom - свобода /svoboda, soul - душа /dusha. The word science - наука /nauka, as well as all the specific sciences are feminine: physics - физика /fizika, math - математика /matematika, psychology - психология /psihologia, and so forth.
Basic necessary staple foods, veggies, fruits and berries are mostly feminine: - слива / potato - картошка /kartoshka, cereal - каша /kasha, corn - кукуруза /kukuruza, wheat - ршеница /psheniza, lentils - чечевица /checheviza, carrot - морковка /morkovka, turnip - репа /repa, beet - свёкла /svyokla, grain - крупа /krupa, flower - мука /muka, cabbage - капуста /kapusta (Strangely, a cucumber - огурец /ogurez is masculine, but it sort of makes sense in a perverted sort of way...), fish - рыба /riba, as well as domesticated meets: beef - говядина /govyadina, pork - свинина /svinina, chicken - курица /kuriza. Meets from the wild game are masculine: deer - олень /oljenj, moose - лось /losj, rabbit - заяц /zayaz, goose - гусь /gusj. Interestingly, all the animals that became domesticated (native to Russia, of course) are feminine: cow - корова / korova, horse - лошадь / loshadj, pig - свинья / svinja, sheep - овца /ovtza, cat - кошка /koshka, dog - собака /sobaka.
Not so necessary food items like spices and deserts, and items that are painful (spicy) or unhealthy to eat are mostly masculine: sugar - сахар /sahar, pepper - перец /perez, onion - лук /luk, garlic - чеснок / chesnok, liquor - ликёр /likyor, tea - чай /chai, coffee - кофе /kofe, pie - пирог /pirog, cake - торт /tort, poison - яд /yad, syrup - сироп /sirop, cream - крем /krem.
The basic common berries are feminine: blueberry - черника, strawberry - клубника, raspberry - малина, cranberry - клюква.
All the exotic fruits grown in warm climates are masculine: orange - апельсин /apeljsin, pineapple - ананас /ananas, banana - банан /banan, watermelon - арбуз /arbuz, grapes - виноград /vinograd.
An apple is neuter, probably because the good Christians were ambivalent about it, causing the fall of men and such.
People were even more ambivalent and mistrustful of a tomato when it got introduced to eastern Europe in 1800's. It was thought to be evil, possibly connected to werewolves. Read this article about the exciting history of tomato.
The only exception to the food logic, where there is a sort of a reversal happening is: soft white bread is feminine: булка /bulka, but healthier dark rye bread is masculine: хлеб /hleb. This is understandable, since it is only lately that white bread became truly unhealthy by being made from refined flower. In the old days it was most likely just as healthy as the dark bread, but became feminine due to its refinement.
What about the abstract concepts?
Good - добро /dobro and evil - зло /zlo, loneliness - одиночество /odinochestvo, happiness - счастье /schastje, feeling - чувство /chustvo, cheer - веселье /veselje - those words are neuter.
Problems and suffering are mostly feminine (could that be, that women were mostly burdened with them?) : problem - проблема /problema, задача /zadacha, illness - болезнь /boleznj, tragedy - беда /beda, трагедия /tragedia, sadness - грусть /grustj, tear - слеза /sleza, pain - боль /bolj, death - смерть /smertj, old age - старость /starostj, struggle - борьба /borjba, the plague/pox - чума /chuma.
There are a few words that are always only plural (like in English), because they can't be divided, such as: pants - штаны /shtani, slacks - брюки /brjuki, pantyhose - колготки /kolgotki, glasses - очки /ochki. Anything that comes in pairs but can be divided, such as shoes, rails, socks, gloves can be both plural and singular, but not those few words. The sleeves are interesting, because they can't be divided any easier than pants, but they can be spoken of separately, as each sleeve. This is possibly because at some lengthy period in history long sleeves were detachable - tied to the body of a coat by strings like shoe laces.
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