-ak

Usage notes

• -ak is the most common suffix used to form the plurals of animate words. It is often used to form the plurals of words ending in letters other than the semivowel w or the vowel a; it is sometimes used to form the plurals of words ending in w; it is almost never used to form the plurals of words ending in a.
• The other suffixes used to form the plurals of animate words are:
  • -ik, often used to form the plurals of words (especially nouns denoting people who have particular occupations or activities) which end in the consonant d or t (which causes the d or t to mutate into j: nodabônkad, "baker" → nodabônkajik, "bakers"); only rarely used to form the plurals of words ending in other letters (nodkwaag, notkwahag, "pilot" → nodkwaagik, notkwahagik, "pilots"),
  • -ok, used to form the plurals of many words ending in w (which it may suppress), and of some other words (which likely ended in w at an earlier stage of the language),
  • -k, used to form the plurals of almost all words that end in a, and of some words that end in other vowels or in the semivowel w; not used to form the plurals of words ending in consonants.
• The suffixes used to form the plurals of inanimate words are:
  • -al, the most common suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words (paskhigan, "gun" → paskhiganal, "guns"), including most body parts and some words ending in the vowel a,
  • -il, used to form the plurals of some words ending in the consonant g or k; only rarely used to form the plurals of words ending in other letters,
  • -ol, used to form the plurals of some words ending in the semivowel w (which it suppresses) or other consonants (which likely ended in w at an earlier stage of the language),
  • -l, used to form the plurals of many words ending in vowels, including the semivowel w; not used to form the plurals of words ending in consonants.

Declension

Declension

Usage notes

• (plural suffix) Harmonic variants:
  • -k is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.
    • nő (“woman”) →‎ nők (“women”)
    • fa (“tree”) →‎ fák (“trees”)
    • csésze (“cup”) →‎ csészék (“cups”)
  • -ak is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant:
    • ház (“house”) →‎ házak (“houses”)
  • -ok is added to most back-vowel words ending in a consonant:
    • pad (“bench”) →‎ padok (“benches”)
  • -ek is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant:
    • kert (“garden”) →‎ kertek (“gardens”)
    • könyv (“book”) →‎ könyvek (“books”)
  • -ök is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant:
    • kör (“circle”) →‎ körök (“circles”)

• Note that the plural form is not used after definite and indefinite numerals in Hungarian: három könyv (“three books”), néhány óra múlva (“in a few hours’ time”). There are very few (traditional, archaic) exceptions, including háromkirályok (“the Three Magi”), mindenszentek (“All Saints”), and certain archaic phrases with összes (“all”) and minden (“every”) (see their Usage notes).
• The regular plural suffix for back-vowel adjectives is -ak, for example okosak (“smart/clever ones”). On the other hand, ethnonyms take -ok (e.g. olaszok (“Italians”), see the back-vowel terms in their category), as well as some other adjectives, including privative (“…-less”) ones (formed with -talan, -atlan, or -tlan). Rounded front-vowel adjectives normally take -ek, for example zöldek (“green ones”), except for demonyms (see rounded front-vowel terms in their category).
• If a word can be both a noun and an adjective, the form of its ending gives information about its function, e.g. játékosok (“players”, noun) and játékosak (“playful”, adjective as part of a plural predicate). The same distinction also exists with words with rounded front vowels, e.g. ismerős: ismerősök (“acquaintances”, noun) and ismerősek (“familiar”, adjective as part of a plural predicate).

Usage notes

This suffix usually softens the preceding consonant, causing an i or y to be added.

Declension

Personal declension (e.g. demonyms):

Animate declension (e.g. dances, sports, some colloquial nouns):

Inanimate declension (some colloquial nouns):

Derived terms