Riga

From Latvian Rīga, of disputed origin:

• Possibly a form of Riege, the German name for the Rīdzene, a tributary of the Daugava river.
• Possibly from rija (“threshing barn”), the j becoming a g in German (note that English geographer Richard Hakluyt calls the city Rie in 1589, and that German historian Dionysius Fabricius confirms in 1610 the origin of Rīga from rija).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹiːɡə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -iːɡə

Riga

1. The capital city of Latvia.
   • 2014, Zigmunds Skujins, Flesh-Coloured Dominoes:

     [The city is] at least ten Rigas and Jelgavas put together! Palace upon palace, bridge upon bridge, tower upon tower.

• Rigan

Borrowed from Italian Riga and Greek Ρήγα (Ríga).

Riga (plural Rigas)

1. A surname.

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Riga is the 40082^nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 547 individuals. Riga is most common among White (93.78%) individuals.

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Riga”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

• ragi, Gair, Ağrı, agri, agri-, gari

Riga

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

Riga

1. definite nominative singular of Rigë

• IPA^(key): [ˈrɪɡa]

• Audio:

  (file)

Riga f (relational adjective rižský, demonym Rižan)

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• “Riga”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “Riga”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “Riga”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Riga

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

Riga n

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• IPA^(key): /ʁi.ɡa/

• Audio:

  (file)

Riga ?

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• agir, gira

• Audio:

  (file)

Riga n (proper noun, genitive Rigas or (optionally with an article) Riga)

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• IPA^(key): [ˈriɡɒ]
• Hyphenation: Ri‧ga
• Rhymes: -ɡɒ

Riga

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• rigai

Riga f

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• Agri, agri, agri-, gira

From Latvian Rīga.

Riga f sg (genitive Rigae); first declension

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)
   • 1578, Alexander Guagnini, Sarmatiae Europeae descriptio, quae Regnum Poloniae, Lituaniam, Samogitiam, Russiam, Masouiam, Prussiam, Pomeraniam, Liuoniam, et Moschouiae, Tartariaeque partem complectitur [Description of European Sarmatia, Which Encompasses the Kingdom of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia, Russia, Mazovia, Prussia, Pomerania, Livonia, Muscovy, and Part of Tartary], Liuoniae totius cum suis Prouinciis, Ciuitatibus, Castris, et Commendaturis, siue Palatinatibus, etc. Succincta descriptio [A succinct description of the whole of Livonia, with its provinces, cities, castles, and commanderies or palatinates, etc.], folio 3r:

     Blokavs Munitio inter Rigam & Dinamunt ad Dwinam condita

     Blokaus is a fortification built on the Dvina between Riga and Dünamünde.

First-declension noun, singular only.

• Rigensis

From Latvian Rīga (“Riga”), where the origin is disputed:

• Possibly from Livonian ringa (“loop”), referring to the ancient natural harbor formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava river.
• Possibly a form of Riege, the German name for the Rīdzene, a tributary of the Daugava river.
• Possibly from rija (“threshing barn”), the j becoming a g in German (note that English geographer Richard Hakluyt calls the city Rie in 1589, and that German historian Dionysius Fabricius confirms in 1610 the origin of Rīga from rija (“threshing barn”), from Livonian rī’, rī’j or from Estonian rehi, both from Proto-Finnic *riihi (“cabin for drying and threshing grain”), from earlier *riŋeše.

• IPA^(key): /ˈriːɡa/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːɡa
• Hyphenation: Ri‧ga

Riga

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

   Riga er Latvias økonomiske og kulturelle sentrum

   Riga is Latvia's economic and cultural center

• rigabalsam (“Riga balm”)
• Rigabukten / Rigabukta (“Gulf of Riga”)

• “Riga” in Store norske leksikon

• gira

• Hyphenation: Ri‧ga

Riga f

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• IPA^(key): /riːɡa/
• Hyphenation: ri‧ga

Rīga f (Cyrillic spelling Рӣга)

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• IPA^(key): [ˈriɡa]

Riga f (genitive singular Rigy, declension pattern of žena)

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• “Riga”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

• IPA^(key): /rìːɡa/

Ríga f

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Feminine, a-stem
nominative	Ríga
genitive	Ríge
	singular
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	Ríga
genitive (rodȋlnik)	Ríge
dative (dajȃlnik)	Rígi
accusative (tožȋlnik)	Rígo
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	Rígi
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	Rígo

• Rížan / Rížanka
• ríški

• “Riga”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “Riga”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

• IPA^(key): /ˈriɡa/ [ˈri.ɣ̞a]
• Rhymes: -iɡa
• Syllabification: Ri‧ga

Riga ?

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

Riga n (genitive Rigas)

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)

• gira

From Ottoman Turkish ریغا (Riga).

Riga

1. Riga (the capital city of Latvia)