Editing English plurals (section)

===== Irregular plurals from other languages =====
Some nouns of [[French language|French]] origin add an ''-x'', which may be silent or pronounced {{IPA|/z/}}:
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|beau||beaux or beaus
|-
|bureau||bureaux or bureaus
|-
|château||châteaux or châteaus
|-
|milieu||milieux or milieus
|-
|tableau||tableaux or tableaus
}}}}

See also {{slink||French compounds}} below.

Italian nouns, notably technical terms in music and art, often retain the Italian plurals:
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|-
| cello||celli
|-
| timpano||timpani
}}}}

Foreign terms may take native plural forms, especially when the user is addressing an audience familiar with the language. In such cases, the conventionally formed English plural may sound awkward or be confusing.

Nouns of [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] origin add ''-a'' or ''-i'' according to native rules, or just ''-s'':
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|-
| kniazhestvo||kniazhestva / kniazhestvos
|-
| kobzar||kobzari / kobzars
|-
| oblast||oblasti / oblasts
}}}}

Nouns of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] origin add ''-im'' or ''-ot'' (generally m/f) according to native rules, or just ''-s'':
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|cherub||cherubim / cherubs
|-
|seraph||seraphim / seraphs (The Hebrew singular is ''saraph''. ''Seraph'' is a back-formation from ''seraphim''. The form ''seraphims'' occurs in the King James Version.)
|-
|matzah||matzot / matzahs
|-
|kibbutz||kibbutzim / kibbutzes
|-
}}}}
''-ot'' is pronounced ''os'' (with unvoiced ''s'') in the [[Ashkenazi]] dialect.

Many nouns of [[Japanese language|Japanese]] origin have no plural form and do not change:
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|bentō||bentō
|-
|otaku||otaku
|-
|Pokémon||Pokémon
|-
|samurai||samurai
}}}}
Other nouns such as ''kimonos'', ''ninjas'', ''futons'', and ''tsunamis'' are more often seen with a regular English plural.

In [[New Zealand English]], nouns of [[Māori language|Māori]] origin can either take an ''-s'' or have no separate plural form. Words more connected to Māori culture and used in that context tend to retain the same form, while names of flora and fauna may or may not take an ''-s'', depending on context. Many regard omission as more correct:
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|kiwi<ref group="b">When referring to the bird, ''kiwi'' may or may not take an ''-s''; when used as an informal term for a New Zealander, it always takes an ''-s''.</ref>||kiwi/kiwis
|-
|kowhai||kowhai/kowhais
|-
|Māori<ref group="b">''Māori'', when referring to a person of that ethnicity, does not usually take an ''-s''. Many speakers avoid the use of ''Māori'' as a noun, and instead use it only as an adjective.</ref>||Māori/(''occasionally'' Māoris)
|-
|marae||marae
|-
|tui||tuis/tui
|-
|waka (canoe)|waka||waka
}}}}

'''Notes:'''
{{Reflist| group="b"|close}}

Some words borrowed from [[Inuktitut]] and related languages spoken by the [[Inuit]] in Canada, Greenland and Alaska, retain the original plurals. The word ''Inuit'' itself is the plural form. Canadian English also borrows Inuktitut singular ''Inuk'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/wrtps/index-eng.html?lang=eng&lettr=indx_catlog_i&page=91V1uxvxfEc4.html|title=Inuit, Inuk (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)|publisher=Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Translation Bureau|date=8 October 2009|access-date=6 April 2018}}</ref> which is uncommon in English outside Canada.
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|Inuk (uncommon)||Inuit
|-
|inukshuk||inukshuit (rare)
|-
| Iqalummiuq || Iqalummiut ("inhabitants of [[Iqaluit]]")
|-
| Nunavimmiuq || Nunavimmiut ("inhabitants of [[Nunavik]]")
|-
| Nunavummiuq || Nunavummiut ("inhabitants of [[Nunavut]]")
}}}}

Nouns from languages other than the above generally form plurals as if they were native English words:
{{block indent|{{wikitable
|canoe||canoes
|-
|cwm||cwms||"Welsh valley"; the [[Welsh language|Welsh]] plural is {{lang|cy|cymoedd}}
|-
|goulash||goulashes||the Hungarian plural of {{lang|hu|gulyás}} is {{lang|hu|gulyások}}
|-
|igloo||igloos||the Inuktitut plural of {{lang|iu|ᐃᒡᓗ}} {{lang|iu-Latn|iglu}} is {{lang|iu|ᐃᒡᓗᐃᑦ}} {{lang|iu-Latn|igluit}}
|-
|kangaroo||kangaroos
|-
|kayak||kayaks||the Inuktitut plural of {{lang|iu|ᖃᔭᖅ}} {{lang|iu-Latn|qajaq}} is {{lang|iu|ᖃᔭᐃᑦ}} {{lang|iu-Latn|qajait}}
|-
|kindergarten||kindergartens||the German plural is {{lang|de|Kindergärten}}
|-
|ninja||ninja/ninjas||Japanese does not have plural forms
|-
|pizza||pizzas||the Italian plural is {{lang|it|pizze}}
|-
|sauna||saunas||the Finnish plural is {{lang|fi|saunat}}
}}}}