Andorian sexes

The Andorian species is unususal in that there are four distinct Andorian genders, and a union between all four genders, an act known as the shelthreth, is required for procreation.

Two of the genders, thaan and chan are roughly male, and the other two genders, zhen and shen, are roughly female. Andorians accept the pronouns "he"/"she"/"him"/"her"/"male"/"female" ect; while dealing other species, as it avoids confusion and unwanted questions.

In the primary Andorian language, known as Andorii, the distinctions are as follows...

Sex
zhen, shen, chan, thaan

Polite form of address
''Zha, Sha, Cha, Tha

Bondmate
zh'yi, sh'za, ch'te, th'se

Parent
zhavey, shreya, charan, thavan

Offspring
zhei, shei, chei, thei

Sibling
zhi, shi, chi, thi

Parent by marriage
zhadi, shidei, chada, thadu

Child by marriage
zhri'za, shri'za, chri'ze, thri'ze

History
By the year 2376, the Andorian species was slowly dying out. The required union between all four genders, and a shrinking window of fertility created a reproductive crisis to which there was no known solution.

While in the Gamma Quadrant, an Andorian chan, Starfleet ensign Thirishar ch'Thane, discovered a unique genetic turn key that existed in the non-viable eggs of a species known as the Yrythny. The eggs provided the solution to the Andorian's crisis by making it possible to widen the window of Andorian fertility and making it possible for a zhen to have more than one child at a time. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel Worlds of Deep Space Nine volume one, Andor: Paradigm)


 *  Disclaimer: The writers and editors at Pocket Books extrapolated the four Andorian genders from Data's line in the TNG episode Data's Day that Andorians marry in groups of four. They freely admit that one does not necessarily equate to the other, but felt that this interpretation afforded the best storytelling opportunities. For an alternate view of Andorian reproduction, see the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel, The Eyes of the Beholders.