Jauna

Jauna is a Latvian adjective form meaning "new." It is the feminine singular form of the base adjective jauns and is used to modify feminine nouns. In Latvian, adjectives agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe, so jauna corresponds with feminine singular nouns such as māja (house) or ideja (idea). Examples include jauna māja (a new house) and jauna ideja (a new idea).

As a common word in everyday Latvian, jauna appears in ordinary descriptions, titles, and expressions referring to something recently created, discovered, or added. The masculine singular form of the same root is jauns, while the neuter and other declined forms align with the corresponding nouns.

Etymologically, jauna comes from the Baltic root jaun-, shared with related languages. In Lithuanian, for instance, jaunas is masculine and jauna is feminine, reflecting a parallel development with Latvian. The root itself traces to an old word meaning “new” and has produced cognates across Baltic languages.

Usage notes: Latvian adjectives typically precede the noun, but both word order and inflection can vary with emphasis or sentence structure. jauna can appear in predicative positions as part of a larger expression, and it adapts to different feminine noun phrases as required by grammar.