hyphen / dash used to link parts of a word or compound
Most common in writing; form and spacing depend on function.
sud-vest
southwest
bun-simț
common sense
paginile 10-12
pages 10–12
#146 · Preposition · ADP
In Romanian, - means “hyphen / dash used to link parts of a word or compound”. It’s the #146 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
The Romanian dash ("-") is a punctuation mark used to join parts of words, mark ranges, or set off speech and parenthetical material. In grammar explanations, it can also stand in for missing material in examples.
neutralMost common in writing; form and spacing depend on function.
southwest
common sense
pages 10–12
Common in literary and journalistic writing.
— I’m coming right away, she said.
— What are you doing? — I’m reading.
Used without spaces in compounds and some fixed written forms.
When the dash joins parts of a compound, it is attached directly to the elements.
bun-simț
common sense
Used with spaces in dialogue and parenthetical interruption.
In direct speech, the dash often appears after a space and before the spoken line.
— Ce faci?
— What are you doing?
Used between numbers to mark a range.
It connects endpoints such as pages, dates, or quantities.
1990-2000
1990–2000
vs. slash (/ )
The dash links elements in writing or marks dialogue; the slash more often shows alternatives, division, or abbreviations.
sud-vest vs. și/sau
southwest vs. and/or
vs. comma
A dash gives a stronger break or a more visible separation than a comma.
A venit, cred. vs. A venit — cred.
He came, I think. vs. He came — I think.
Am citit paginile 10-12 din carte.
I read pages 10–12 of the book.
10-12 type range with dash - Used between numbers to show a range.
S-a mutat în sud-vestul țării.
He moved to the southwest of the country.
compound written with a dash - Used in a compound word.
— Nu știu răspunsul.
— I don’t know the answer.
dash introducing direct speech - Used to mark spoken dialogue.