Nauja

Nauja is a Lithuanian word that serves as the feminine singular form of the adjective naujas, meaning "new" or "fresh." It is used to describe feminine nouns and agrees with gender, number, and case. In everyday usage, it appears in phrases such as "nauja knyga" (a new book) or "nauja mokykla" (a new school). The form changes with different grammatical cases and numbers, reflecting standard Lithuanian adjective agreement.

In addition to its ordinary descriptive use, nauja is common in compound expressions and phrases that indicate novelty or recent emergence, such as "nauja versija" (a new version) or "nauja informacija" (new information). It is also frequently seen in headlines and announcements to signal updates or fresh editions.

Etymologically, nauja is part of a Baltic language family pattern where related words in nearby languages express the idea of new or young. A cognate in Latvian is jauna (feminine), illustrating common Baltic roots for concepts of novelty and freshness. The Lithuanian form nauja is compatible with other forms of the same adjective when it modifies different feminine nouns or appears in different cases.

Usage notes: nauja is not a standalone noun; it functions as an adjective. It is capitalized only when it begins a sentence or appears in a proper noun context. The word is widely understood across Lithuanian-speaking contexts and appears in both spoken and written language to convey newness or recency.