राष्ट्र

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit राष्ट्र (rāṣṭra). Doublet of राठ (rāṭh), a tadbhava; see also मराठा (marāṭhā).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɾɑːʂ.ʈɾᵊ/, [ɾäːʂ.ʈɾᵊ]

Noun

राष्ट्र • (rāṣṭra) m (Urdu spelling راشٹر)

1. nation (sovereign state)

   Synonyms: देश (deś), राज्य (rājya)

   दूसरे विश्वयुद्ध के दौरान, स्पेन तटस्थ राष्ट्र था।

   dūsre viśvayuddh ke daurān, spen taṭasth rāṣṭra thā.

   During the Second World War, Spain was a neutral nation.

2. nation (community of people having a common identity)

   हिंदू राष्ट्र ― hindū rāṣṭra ― the Hindu nation

Declension

Declension of राष्ट्र (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	राष्ट्र rāṣṭra	राष्ट्र rāṣṭra
oblique	राष्ट्र rāṣṭra	राष्ट्रों rāṣṭrõ
vocative	राष्ट्र rāṣṭra	राष्ट्रो rāṣṭro

Derived terms

• महाराष्ट्र (mahārāṣṭra)
• राष्ट्रभाषा (rāṣṭrabhāṣā)
• राष्ट्रीय (rāṣṭrīya)

Related terms

• राष्ट्रपति (rāṣṭrapti)

References

• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “राष्ट्र”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit राष्ट्र (rāṣṭra).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɾaʂ.ʈɾə/

Noun

राष्ट्र • (rāṣṭra) n or m

1. country, realm, region; territory or tract
2. assembled multitude, numerous company or concourse, host, swarm
3. nation

Derived terms

• महाराष्ट्र (mahārāṣṭra)
• राष्ट्रभाषा (rāṣṭrabhāṣā)
• राष्ट्रीय (rāṣṭrīy)
• राष्ट्रपती (rāṣṭraptī)
• राष्ट्रप्रेम (rāṣṭraprem)
• राष्ट्रभक्ती (rāṣṭrabhaktī)
• राष्ट्रवादी (rāṣṭravādī)

Further reading

• Molesworth, James T. (1831) A Dictionary Muraṭ,hee & English‎^[1], Bombay, page 878

Nepali

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [räs̠t̠rʌ]
• Phonetic Devanagari: रास्ट्र

Noun

राष्ट्र • (rāṣṭra)

1. nation, country

   Synonym: देश (deś)

References

• “राष्ट्र”, in नेपाली बृहत् शब्दकोश (nepālī br̥hat śabdakoś) [Comprehensive Nepali Dictionary]‎^[2], Kathmandu: Nepal Academy, 2018
• Schmidt, Ruth L. (1993) “राष्ट्र”, in A Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali, Ratna Sagar

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৰাষ্ট্ৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬭᬵᬱ᭄ᬝ᭄ᬭ (Balinese script)
• রাষ্ট্র (Bengali script)
• 𑰨𑰯𑰬𑰿𑰘𑰿𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀭𑀸𑀱𑁆𑀝𑁆𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• ရာၑ္ဋြ (Burmese script)
• રાષ્ટ્ર (Gujarati script)
• ਰਾਸ਼੍ਟ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌰𑌾𑌷𑍍𑌟𑍍𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦫꦴꦰ꧀ꦛꦿ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂰𑂭𑂹𑂗𑂹𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ (Kannada script)
• រាឞ្ដ្រ (Khmer script)
• ຣາຩ຺ຏ຺ຣ (Lao script)
• രാഷ്ട്ര (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢢᢞᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘨𑘰𑘬𑘿𑘘𑘿𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠠᢗᢔᢌᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧈𑧑𑧌𑧠𑦸𑧠𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐬𑐵𑐲𑑂𑐚𑑂𑐬 (Newa script)
• ରାଷ୍ଟ୍ର (Odia script)
• ꢬꢵꢰ꣄ꢜ꣄ꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆫𑆳𑆰𑇀𑆛𑇀𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖨𑖯𑖬𑖿𑖘𑖿𑖨 (Siddham script)
• රාෂ‍්ට්‍ර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩼𑩛𑪀 𑪙𑩦 𑪙𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚤𑚭𑚶𑚔𑚶𑚤 (Takri script)
• ராஷ்ட்ர (Tamil script)
• రాష్ట్ర (Telugu script)
• ราษฺฏฺร (Thai script)
• རཱ་ཥྚྲ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒩𑒰𑒭𑓂𑒙𑓂𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨊𑨯𑩇𑨔𑩇𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵ-tro-m, from *h₃rḗǵs (“king”) (which was reinterpreted as being from a root *h₃rēǵ-) + *-trom (suffix denoting an instrument). See also राज् (rāj), राजन् (rājan).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɑːʂ.ʈɾɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɾɑːʂ.ʈɾɐ/

Noun

राष्ट्र • (rāṣṭrá) stem, n or m

1. a kingdom, realm, empire, dominion, district, country
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 4.42.1:

     मम॑ द्वि॒ता रा॒ष्ट्रं क्ष॒त्रिय॑स्य वि॒श्वायो॒र्विश्वे॑ अ॒मृता॒ यथा॑ नः।
     क्रतुं॑ सचन्ते॒ वरु॑णस्य दे॒वा राजा॑मि कृ॒ष्टेरु॑प॒मस्य॑ व॒व्रेः॥

     máma dvitā́ rāṣṭráṃ kṣatríyasya viśvā́yorvíśve amṛ́tā yáthā naḥ.
     krátuṃ sacante váruṇasya devā́ rā́jāmi kṛṣṭérupamásya vavréḥ.

     Twofold is my empire, that of the whole kṣatriya race, and all the immortals are ours; the gods associate me with the acts of Varuṇa; I rule over (those) of the proximate form of man.

2. a people, nation, subjects
   • c. 200 BCE – 200 CE, Manusmṛti
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
3. public calamity such as plague, famine, etc.

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of राष्ट्र

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	राष्ट्रम् (rāṣṭrám)	राष्ट्रे (rāṣṭré)	राष्ट्राणि (rāṣṭrā́ṇi) राष्ट्रा¹ (rāṣṭrā́¹)
accusative	राष्ट्रम् (rāṣṭrám)	राष्ट्रे (rāṣṭré)	राष्ट्राणि (rāṣṭrā́ṇi) राष्ट्रा¹ (rāṣṭrā́¹)
instrumental	राष्ट्रेण (rāṣṭréṇa)	राष्ट्राभ्याम् (rāṣṭrā́bhyām)	राष्ट्रैः (rāṣṭraíḥ) राष्ट्रेभिः¹ (rāṣṭrébhiḥ¹)
dative	राष्ट्राय (rāṣṭrā́ya)	राष्ट्राभ्याम् (rāṣṭrā́bhyām)	राष्ट्रेभ्यः (rāṣṭrébhyaḥ)
ablative	राष्ट्रात् (rāṣṭrā́t)	राष्ट्राभ्याम् (rāṣṭrā́bhyām)	राष्ट्रेभ्यः (rāṣṭrébhyaḥ)
genitive	राष्ट्रस्य (rāṣṭrásya)	राष्ट्रयोः (rāṣṭráyoḥ)	राष्ट्राणाम् (rāṣṭrā́ṇām)
locative	राष्ट्रे (rāṣṭré)	राष्ट्रयोः (rāṣṭráyoḥ)	राष्ट्रेषु (rāṣṭréṣu)
vocative	राष्ट्र (rā́ṣṭra)	राष्ट्रे (rā́ṣṭre)	राष्ट्राणि (rā́ṣṭrāṇi) राष्ट्रा¹ (rā́ṣṭrā¹)

• ¹Vedic

Masculine a-stem declension of राष्ट्र

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	राष्ट्रः (rāṣṭraḥ)	राष्ट्रौ (rāṣṭrau)	राष्ट्राः (rāṣṭrāḥ)
accusative	राष्ट्रम् (rāṣṭram)	राष्ट्रौ (rāṣṭrau)	राष्ट्रान् (rāṣṭrān)
instrumental	राष्ट्रेण (rāṣṭreṇa)	राष्ट्राभ्याम् (rāṣṭrābhyām)	राष्ट्रैः (rāṣṭraiḥ)
dative	राष्ट्राय (rāṣṭrāya)	राष्ट्राभ्याम् (rāṣṭrābhyām)	राष्ट्रेभ्यः (rāṣṭrebhyaḥ)
ablative	राष्ट्रात् (rāṣṭrāt)	राष्ट्राभ्याम् (rāṣṭrābhyām)	राष्ट्रेभ्यः (rāṣṭrebhyaḥ)
genitive	राष्ट्रस्य (rāṣṭrasya)	राष्ट्रयोः (rāṣṭrayoḥ)	राष्ट्राणाम् (rāṣṭrāṇām)
locative	राष्ट्रे (rāṣṭre)	राष्ट्रयोः (rāṣṭrayoḥ)	राष्ट्रेषु (rāṣṭreṣu)
vocative	राष्ट्र (rāṣṭra)	राष्ट्रौ (rāṣṭrau)	राष्ट्राः (rāṣṭrāḥ)

The masculine only occurs in non-Vedic texts.

Synonyms

• राज्य (rājya), साम्राज्य (sāmrājya) (a kingdom, a great realm, an empire)

Derived terms

• राष्ट्रपति (rāṣṭrapati)
• राष्ट्रिका f (rāṣṭrikā)
• राष्ट्रीय (rāṣṭrīya)
• सुराष्ट्र (surāṣṭra)

Descendants

• Dhivehi: ރަށް (raṣ̊)
• Pali: raṭṭha
  • → Burmese: ရဋ္ဌ (rathta.)
  • → Khmer: រដ្ឋ (rŏət)
  • → Lao: ລັດ (lat), ຣັຖ (rat) (old spelling)
  • → Thai: รัฐ (rát)

Borrowed terms

• Hindi: राष्ट्र (rāṣṭra)
• Burmese: ရာသတြ (Raasatra)
• Malayalam: രാഷ്ട്രം (rāṣṭraṁ)
• Marathi: राष्ट्र (rāṣṭra)
• Kannada: ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ (rāṣṭra)
• Nepali: राष्ट्र (rāṣṭra)
• Punjabi: ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ (rāśṭar)
• Telugu: రాష్ట్రము (rāṣṭramu)
• Thai: ราษฎร (râat-sà-dɔɔn), ราษฎร์ (râat)

Proper noun

राष्ट्र • (rāṣṭra) stem, m

1. name of a king (son of काशि)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “राष्ट्र”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0879/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[3] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 449-50
• Haughton, Graves C. (1833) “ৰাষ্ট্ৰ”, in A Dictionary, Bengálí and Sanskrit, Explained in English, and Adapted for Students of Either Language‎^[4], London: J. L. Cox & Son, page 2397
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “rāṣṭra”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.