râului

Râului is the genitive and dative singular form of the Romanian noun râu, meaning river. In Romanian, nouns decline for case, and râului is used to express possession (the river’s something) or to indicate the indirect object related to a river. The form appears in everyday phrases such as malul râului (the river’s bank) and gura râului (the river’s mouth).

Etymology and morphology: râu derives from Latin rivus, the root from which Romanian river-related vocabulary developed. The genitive/dative singular form râului is part of a typical pattern for masculine nouns ending in -u, with broader declension patterns visible across related forms. The nominative singular is râu, and the plural forms include râuri (nominative/accusative) and râurilor (genitive/dative).

Usage notes: râului functions as a descriptive or relational element within phrases rather than as a standalone noun in ordinary speech. It helps specify a relationship to a particular river, whether for ownership, association, or direction of action.

Toponymy: In Romanian geography, elements derived from râu and its inflected forms appear in place names to indicate proximity to or involvement with a river. Such usage reflects a wider tendency in Romanian toponymy to incorporate hydronyms as descriptive components of locations.

See also: râu, river (in Romanian).

This article provides a concise overview of the form râului and its role in Romanian grammar and place names.