rìgh
/rˠiː/masculine
The Gaelic word for king is rìgh.
The term rìgh refers to a male member of a royal family who serves as the supreme ruler of a nation.
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
rìgh is a masculine noun. When you use it with the definite article 'the', the phrase becomes an rìgh.
How do you pronounce it?
/rˠiː/
Did you know?
- The root of rìgh is so ancient that it also appears in Sanskrit as 'rajan', meaning 'king' or 'prince'.
- Historically, a Gaelic rìgh was often viewed as a sacred figure whose physical perfection was required to ensure the fertility of the land.
- Historically, the concept of a king in Gaelic culture was often tied to 'tanistry', a system where an heir was chosen during the king's lifetime rather than through simple primogeniture.
Examples in context
- Bha Coinneach mac Ailpein na chiad rìgh na h-Alba.Kenneth MacAlpin was the first king of Scotland.This sentence is useful for learning how to use rìgh when discussing historical figures.
- An ríThe king
- Bha an rìgh an seo.The king was here.
- Tha an rìgh gu math fortanach.The king is very lucky.
Example conversation
Eilidh and Callum are discussing a history book.
- EilidhA bheil an rìgh seo an owna chinneadh?Is this king of the same lineage?
- CallumTha, tha e an owna teaghlach.Yes, he is of the same family.
- EilidhAn robh an rìgh seo carraidh?Was this king brave?
- CallumBha e glè chlisgeul agus làidir.He was very clever and strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations and entries rìgh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
