Rechthoekige

Rechthoekige is the inflected Dutch adjective meaning rectangular or rectangle-shaped. It is used to describe objects, figures or patterns that have the form of a rectangle. The base word is rechthoekig, formed from rechthoek (rectangle) and the suffix -ig, which turns a noun into an adjective meaning “having the characteristics of.”

In geometry, a rectangle (rechthoek) is defined as a parallelogram with four right angles. Consequently, a rechthoekige figuur is a four-sided figure with four right angles, and opposite sides that are parallel and equal in length. A square is a special case of a rectangle, being rechthoekig with all sides of equal length. The term rechthoekige is commonly used in Dutch to describe shapes in mathematics, design, architecture, and related fields.

Grammatically, rechthoekige is the form used when describing nouns such as figuur (figure), vorm (shape), blok (block) and similar words. The singular definite phrase “de rechthoekige vorm” and the indefinite or plural forms such as “rechthoekige figuren” illustrate typical usage in Dutch texts.

Common contexts include product design, construction, and visual arts, where rectangular shapes are prevalent for practicality and aesthetics. The English equivalent is rectangular, and the term is closely related to other Dutch shape vocabulary such as vierkant (square) and parallellogram (parallelogram). See also: rectangle, vierhoek, rechthoek.