How many sons does Genesis say Noah had?

Genesis says Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

These three sons are named in Genesis 5:32 and again in the flood narrative. Each is presented as entering the ark with his wife, so Noah’s immediate household includes four couples. The sons later become important figures in the biblical account of humanity after the flood.

Genesis 9 describes an incident involving Noah and his sons after the flood. Shem and Japheth cover their father, while Ham is connected with the episode that leads to Noah’s curse concerning Canaan. Later biblical genealogies trace many peoples and nations through Noah’s sons.

A common mix-up is confusing Noah’s sons with the number of people aboard the ark. The sons numbered three, while the New Testament’s First Letter of Peter refers to eight people being saved through the flood. The three names are also spelled differently in some transliterations.