नारा (naaraa)

noun One core meaning: a slogan or chant, most often the kind shouted at rallies, protests, or political marches. Notes below cover the collocations that make it feel natural.
Sense 1 : slogan, chant (political/protest)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: जयघोष (jayghosh, literary, victory-chant sense)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Walk past any protest, election rally, or student union march in Delhi and you will hear crowds doing नारेबाज़ी (naarebaazii, the noun for slogan-chanting itself) -- one person calls out a line and the crowd roars back the response, a call-and-response rhythm baked into how नारा (naaraa) is actually used, not just printed on a banner.
Common Mistakes: 1) नारा (naaraa) is almost always paired with the verb लगाना (lagaanaa) -- नारा लगाना (naaraa lagaanaa, 'to raise/shout a slogan') -- not बोलना (bolnaa) or कहना (kahnaa), which sound off here. 2) Learners sometimes reach for वाक्य (vaaky, 'sentence') or कथन (kathan, 'statement') when they mean a chanted rallying cry -- नारा (naaraa) is specifically the punchy, repeatable, often rhyming kind.
Sample Sentences:
छात्रों ने नारा लगाया। The students raised a slogan.
(chhaatron ne naaraa lagaayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
भीड़ ज़ोर-ज़ोर से नारे लगा रही थी। The crowd was shouting slogans loudly.
(bhiid zor-zor se naare lagaa rahii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
रैली में हर तरफ यही नारा गूँज रहा था -- "इंकलाब ज़िंदाबाद"। At the rally, this same slogan was echoing everywhere -- "Long live the revolution."
(railii men har taraph yahii naaraa goonj rahaa thaa -- "inklaab zindaabaad"।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
नारे मत लगाओ, यहाँ पुलिस है। Don't shout slogans, the police are here.
(naare mat lagaao, yahaan pulis hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर उसे गिरफ़्तार किया गया, तो लोग नारे लगाएँगे। If he is arrested, people will chant slogans.
(agar use giraftaar kiyaa gayaa, to log naare lagaaenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Passive
प्रदर्शन के दौरान कई नारे लगाए गए। Many slogans were raised during the protest.
(pradarshan ke dauraan kaii naare lagaae gae।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
काश वे लोग नारे लगाने के बजाय शांति से बात करते। If only those people had talked peacefully instead of chanting slogans.
(kaash ve log naare lagaane ke bajaay shaanti se baat karte।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
नेता जी ने भाषण में एक नया नारा दिया। The leader gave a new slogan in his speech.
(netaa jii ne bhaashan men ek nayaa naaraa diyaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
चुनाव के समय हर पार्टी अपना-अपना नारा लेकर आती है। At election time, every party comes up with its own slogan.
(chunaav ke samay har paartii apnaa-apnaa naaraa lekar aatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद यह नारा लोगों को जोड़ने के लिए बनाया गया हो। Perhaps this slogan was made to bring people together.
(shaayad yah naaraa logon ko jodne ke lie banaayaa gayaa ho।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Passive
एक कार्यकर्ता नारा बोलता, बाकी सब साथ में दोहराते। One activist would call out the slogan, and everyone else would repeat it together.
(ek kaarykartaa naaraa boltaa, baakii sab saath men dohraate।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): नारा (naaraa)
(sg.m.oblique): नारे (naare)
(pl.m.direct): नारे (naare)
(pl.m.oblique): नारों (naaron)