ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Noun class

Noun class is a way that some languages use to sort lots of different words into different groups. Think of it like sorting toys into different boxes - the toys can be grouped by size, shape or color. Noun class is kind of like that but instead of sorting toys, we are sorting words.

In some languages, the same word can belong to different noun classes (like boy and girl), and each class has different grammar rules that go with it. For example, if you want to say "the boy" or "the girl" in some languages, you have to use a different word depending on which noun class the noun belongs to.

Some languages have more than 20 different noun classes to help them sort all kinds of words. This can be really helpful because it helps people know how to use the right grammar for each word. It's like putting all your toys in the right box so that you can find them easily later on.