रक्षिका

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৰক্ষিকা (Assamese script)
• ᬭᬓ᭄ᬱᬶᬓᬵ (Balinese script)
• রক্ষিকা (Bengali script)
• 𑰨𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰰𑰎𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀭𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀺𑀓𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ရက္ၑိကာ (Burmese script)
• રક્ષિકા (Gujarati script)
• ਰਕ੍ਸ਼ਿਕਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌰𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌿𑌕𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦫꦏ꧀ꦰꦶꦏꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂱𑂍𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ರಕ್ಷಿಕಾ (Kannada script)
• រក្ឞិកា (Khmer script)
• ຣກ຺ຩິກາ (Lao script)
• രക്ഷികാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᠠᡬᢢᡳᡬᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘨𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘱𑘎𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠠᢉᢔᠢᢉᠠ᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧈𑦮𑧠𑧌𑧒𑦮𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐬𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐶𑐎𑐵 (Newa script)
• ରକ୍ଷିକା (Odia script)
• ꢬꢒ꣄ꢰꢶꢒꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆫𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆴𑆑𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖨𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖰𑖎𑖯 (Siddham script)
• රක්‍ෂිකා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩼𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑩑𑩜𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚤𑚊𑚶𑚮𑚊𑚭 (Takri script)
• ரக்ஷிகா (Tamil script)
• రక్షికా (Telugu script)
• รกฺษิกา (Thai script)
• ར་ཀྵི་ཀཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒩𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒱𑒏𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨁𑨋𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From the root रक्ष् (rakṣ, “to guard, watch, take care of, protect, save, preserve”) +‎ -इका (-ikā).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɾɐk.ʂi.kɑː/

Noun

रक्षिका • (rakṣikā) stem, f (Classical Sanskrit)

1. female equivalent of रक्षक (rakṣaka, “protector, saviour, guardian”)

   Synonym: रक्षिणी (rakṣiṇī)

2. an amulet, charm, or thread worn as a protective
3. (New Sanskrit) a rakhi

   Synonyms: राखीसूत्र (rākhīsūtra), रक्षासूत्र (rakṣāsūtra), राखी (rākhī)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of रक्षिका

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	रक्षिका (rakṣikā)	रक्षिके (rakṣike)	रक्षिकाः (rakṣikāḥ)
vocative	रक्षिके (rakṣike)	रक्षिके (rakṣike)	रक्षिकाः (rakṣikāḥ)
accusative	रक्षिकाम् (rakṣikām)	रक्षिके (rakṣike)	रक्षिकाः (rakṣikāḥ)
instrumental	रक्षिकया (rakṣikayā)	रक्षिकाभ्याम् (rakṣikābhyām)	रक्षिकाभिः (rakṣikābhiḥ)
dative	रक्षिकायै (rakṣikāyai)	रक्षिकाभ्याम् (rakṣikābhyām)	रक्षिकाभ्यः (rakṣikābhyaḥ)
ablative	रक्षिकायाः (rakṣikāyāḥ)	रक्षिकाभ्याम् (rakṣikābhyām)	रक्षिकाभ्यः (rakṣikābhyaḥ)
genitive	रक्षिकायाः (rakṣikāyāḥ)	रक्षिकयोः (rakṣikayoḥ)	रक्षिकाणाम् (rakṣikāṇām)
locative	रक्षिकायाम् (rakṣikāyām)	रक्षिकयोः (rakṣikayoḥ)	रक्षिकासु (rakṣikāsu)

Descendants

• Gujarati: રાખી (rākhī)
• Hindustani: rākhī

  Hindi: राखी

  Urdu: راکھی

• Marathi: राखी (rākhī)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “रक्षिका”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 859.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “rakṣikā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “रक्षिका”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 1323