German noun gender: learn the article with the noun.

The three genders

Masculine nouns take der, feminine nouns take die, and neuter nouns take das in the nominative singular. Grammatical gender belongs to the noun; it does not always match natural gender or the meaning of the object.

Useful endings—not perfect rules

• Nouns ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, and -tion are normally feminine: die Zeitung, die Freiheit, die Möglichkeit.
• Diminutives ending in -chen or -lein are neuter: das Mädchen, das Büchlein.
• Days, months, seasons, and many weather words are masculine: der Montag, der Januar, der Sommer.
• Many nouns ending in -er are masculine, but exceptions such as die Butter show why each article still needs to be learned.

A memory routine that survives the exceptions

Say and write the article every time you review a noun. Add the plural because plural formation is another part of the word that cannot always be predicted. Then place the noun in one short, natural sentence.