raja

noun

ra·​ja ˈrä-jə 

-(ˌ)jä,

-zhə,

-(ˌ)zhä

variants or rajah

1

: an Indian or Malay prince or chief

2

: the bearer of a title of nobility among the Hindus

Examples of raja in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Only the wealthiest resided in the inner city, made up the raja’s court, and decided the fate of the kingdom’s people—yet never ventured outside the sixty-foot-tall iron gate to mingle or empathize. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025

The debate over the sabda raja, as the sultan’s proclamations are known, has exposed fault lines within an otherwise sleepy university town and has led to citywide soul-searching about what the future holds for fast-developing Yogyakarta. —Jon Emont, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2015

This was the beginning of her lifelong love affair with horses, which led her to work as a groom for an Indian raja, or prince, to excel as a competitive horsewoman and to teach innumerable students the joy of riding. —Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu rājā, from Sanskrit rājan king — more at royal

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

raja

noun

ra·​ja

variants or rajah

ˈräj-ə 

ˈräzh-

: an Indian or Malay prince or chief

Etymology

from Hindi and Urdu (the official language of Pakistan) rājā "prince, chief"