राष्ट्रीय (raashtriiy)

adjective A single-sense adjective meaning 'national', used constantly in official, media, and civic contexts. Related to राष्ट्र (raashtr, 'nation'), from which it is derived.
Sense 1 : national, of or relating to the nation
adjective
Synonyms: देशीय (deshiiy, rare)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will see राष्ट्रीय (raashtriiy) everywhere in Indian civic life: राष्ट्रीय गान (raashtriiy gaan, 'national anthem'), राष्ट्रीय झंडा (raashtriiy jhandaa, 'national flag'), and राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग (raashtriiy raajmaarg, 'national highway') signs dot every Indian road. It carries a formal, official register -- the kind of word you hear on the news or read on government signage rather than in casual chat about your day.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse राष्ट्रीय (raashtriiy) with राजनैतिक (raajnaitik, 'political') or राजनीतिक (raajniitik) since both appear in news contexts -- राष्ट्रीय (raashtriiy) is specifically about the nation as a whole, not politics or government per se. 2) As an invariant adjective, it does not change form before masculine or feminine nouns -- learners familiar with variable adjectives like अच्छा (achchhaa) sometimes wrongly try to inflect it, e.g. writing राष्ट्रीये (raashtriiye) before a feminine noun, which is incorrect.
Sample Sentences:
कल राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग पर बहुत ट्रैफ़िक था। Yesterday there was a lot of traffic on the national highway.
(kal raashtriiy raajmaarg par bahut traifik thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
स्कूल में हर सुबह राष्ट्रीय गान गाया जाता है। The national anthem is sung every morning at school.
(skool men har subah raashtriiy gaan gaayaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
सरकार राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा नीति में बदलाव कर रही है। The government is making changes to the national education policy.
(sarkaar raashtriiy shikshaa niiti men badlaav kar rahii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगले महीने राष्ट्रीय स्तर की प्रतियोगिता होगी। Next month there will be a national-level competition.
(agle mahiine raashtriiy star kii pratiyogitaa hogii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
कृपया राष्ट्रीय झंडे का सम्मान करें। Please respect the national flag.
(kripyaa raashtriiy jhande kaa sammaan karen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर यह इमारत राष्ट्रीय धरोहर होती, तो इसे तोड़ा नहीं जाता। If this building were a national heritage site, it would not have been demolished.
(agar yah imaarat raashtriiy dharohar hotii, to ise todaa nahiin jaataa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Passive
उसने राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार जीता है। He has won a national award.
(usne raashtriiy puraskaar jiitaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मंत्री ने कहा कि यह मुद्दा राष्ट्रीय महत्व का है। The minister said that this issue is of national importance.
(mantrii ne kahaa ki yah muddaa raashtriiy mahatv kaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह जरूरी है कि हर नागरिक राष्ट्रीय एकता में योगदान दे। It is necessary that every citizen contribute to national unity.
(yah jaroorii hai ki har naagrik raashtriiy ektaa men yogdaan de।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
यह पार्क राष्ट्रीय उद्यान घोषित किया गया था। This park was declared a national park.
(yah paark raashtriiy udyaan ghoshit kiyaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
छब्बीस जनवरी को राष्ट्रीय पर्व के रूप में मनाया जाता है। January 26th is celebrated as a national festival.
(chhabbiis janavrii ko raashtriiy parv ke roop men manaayaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant: राष्ट्रीय (raashtriiy)