The Awful German Language (1880)

And a girl is a "Mädchen", which is neuter, even though a boys is a "Knabe" and definitely male.

Amongst guys, women are still sometimes referred collectively to as "Weiber".

Fun fact: “Das Mädchen” (“little girl”, neuter) is diminutive form for “Die Mad” (“girl”, female).

All diminutives in German are neuter, for whatever reason. You could do the same for “Der Knabe” (“boy”) → “Das Knäbchen” (“little boy”).

Curiously, saying “Die Mad” would be as uncommon – at least nowadays – as saying “Das Knäbchen”.

> Curiously, saying “Die Mad” would be as uncommon – at least nowadays – as saying “Das Knäbchen”.

I liked that The Handmaids Tale in German is der Report der Magd.

> All diminutives in German are neuter, for whatever reason

It’s just one instance of the more general principle that the gender of nouns with a common suffix are based on the suffix. E.g. all nouns ending in -keit or -ung are feminine regardless of whether they have any connection to the biological female sex.

A German guy once told me "Weizen und Weiber stößt man von unten"

Instant „Fremdscham“.

secondhand embarrassment, for anyone not speaking german here

I'm not translating the post above that