rothar
/ˈɾˠɔhəɾˠ/masculine
The Irish word for bicycle is rothar.
rothar is a masculine noun used to refer to a bicycle as a vehicle.
Meaning: vehicle (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because rothar is a masculine noun, the definite article for 'the' is an (as in an rothar). This differs from the feminine article an or the plural article na.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɾˠɔhəɾˠ/
Did you know?
- The word rothar was only coined in the 19th century to accommodate the invention of the bicycle.
- The suffix -ar in rothar is a collective marker, implying the bicycle is a set of wheels working together.
- In Irish, the act of cycling is not just a verb for riding, but is expressed as rothairíocht, which functions more like the English word 'cycling' as a distinct, formalized discipline.
Examples in context
- Tá rothar maith agat!You have a good bicycle!
Example conversation
Conor and Niamh are talking about transportation.
- ConorConas a thag tú anseo?How did you come here?
- NiamhThag mé ar mo rothar.I came on my bicycle.
- ConorAn bhfuil sé go tapa?Is it fast?
- NiamhTá, tá sé an-tapa.Yes, it is very fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bicycle” translations and entries rothar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rothar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
