छूना (chhoonaa)
verb
The core meaning is physical contact -- 'to touch' -- which extends naturally into emotional ('to move someone') and aspirational ('to reach/attain') senses, much like English 'touch' does.
Sense
1
:
to touch (physical contact)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: स्पर्श करना (sparsh karnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: पैर छूना (pair chhoonaa, 'to touch the feet') is a common gesture of respect toward elders, teachers, and parents -- if you visit a Hindi-speaking family and see someone bend down to touch a grandparent's feet, this is the verb behind it.
Common Mistakes: 1) The object of physical touching is usually को-marked when it's a specific person or thing: मैंने उसे छुआ (mainne use chhuaa, 'I touched him/her'), not मैंने उसको छूता। 2) स्पर्श करना (sparsh karnaa) is the bookish/formal equivalent -- in everyday speech छूना (chhoonaa) is what people actually say.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चा दीवार को छू रहा है।
The child is touching the wall.
(bachchaa diivaar ko chhoo rahaa hai।)
उसने मेरे कंधे को हल्के से छुआ।
He touched my shoulder lightly.
(usne mere kandhe ko halke se chhuaa।)
कृपया इस कलाकृति को मत छुइए।
Please do not touch this artwork.
(kripyaa is kalaakriti ko mat chhuie।)
छोटे बच्चे अक्सर हर चीज़ को छूते हैं।
Small children often touch everything.
(chhote bachche aksar har chiiz ko chhoote hain।)
जब वह घर आया, तो उसने अपने दादा जी के पैर छुए।
When he came home, he touched his grandfather's feet.
(jab vah ghar aayaa, to usne apne daadaa jii ke pair chhue।)
शादी में दुल्हन ने सभी बड़ों के पैर छुए।
At the wedding, the bride touched the feet of all the elders.
(shaadii men dulhan ne sabhii badon ke pair chhue।)
यह प्रतिमा इतनी पुरानी है कि इसे छुआ नहीं जाता।
This statue is so old that it is not touched.
(yah pratimaa itnii puraanii hai ki ise chhuaa nahiin jaataa।)
अगर मैं बिजली का तार छू लेता, तो शायद मर जाता।
If I had touched the electric wire, I might have died.
(agar main bijlii kaa taar chhoo letaa, to shaayad mar jaataa।)
डॉक्टर ने मरीज़ के माथे को छूकर बुखार जाँचा।
The doctor touched the patient's forehead to check the fever.
(doktar ne mariiz ke maathe ko chhookar bukhaar jaanchaa।)
पैर छूने से पहले उसने माँ का आशीर्वाद माँगा।
Before touching her mother's feet, she asked for her blessing.
(pair chhoone se pahle usne maan kaa aashiirvaad maangaa।)
क्या तुम पानी को छूकर बता सकते हो कि यह गरम है या ठंडा?
Can you touch the water and tell if it's hot or cold?
(kyaa tum paanii ko chhookar bataa sakte ho ki yah garam hai yaa thandaa?)
Sense
2
:
to move emotionally, to touch (feelings)
verb, transitive Often appears as दिल को छूना (dil ko chhoonaa, 'to touch the heart') or मन को छूना (man ko chhoonaa, 'to touch the mind/heart'), paralleling English's own heart-touch metaphor.
Synonyms: प्रभावित करना (prabhaavit karnaa, to affect/influence)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This sense rides on the same body-as-container imagery as दिल (dil, 'heart') and मन (man, 'mind/heart') -- emotions in Hindi are often things that touch or enter you rather than things you simply 'feel,' which is a useful reframe for English speakers.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for प्रभावित करना (prabhaavit karnaa) by default for 'move/affect,' but for warm, personal emotional impact दिल को छूना (dil ko chhoonaa, 'to touch the heart') is the far more natural, idiomatic choice.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी बात ने मेरा दिल छू लिया।
What she said touched my heart.
(uskii baat ne meraa dil chhoo liyaa।)
यह कहानी हर बार मुझे छू जाती है।
This story touches me every time.
(yah kahaanii har baar mujhe chhoo jaatii hai।)
उसकी सादगी मुझे बहुत छू रही थी।
Her simplicity was really touching me deeply.
(uskii saadgii mujhe bahut chhoo rahii thii।)
काश उसकी बातें उसके दिल को छू पातीं।
If only her words could have touched his heart.
(kaash uskii baaten uske dil ko chhoo paatiin।)
अगर वह गाना तुम्हें न छूता, तो तुम रो न रहे होते।
If that song hadn't touched you, you wouldn't be crying.
(agar vah gaanaa tumhen n chhootaa, to tum ro n rahe hote।)
उम्मीद है कि मेरे शब्द आपके मन को छुएँ।
I hope my words touch your heart.
(ummiid hai ki mere shabd aapke man ko chhuen।)
फ़िल्म के आख़िरी सीन ने पूरे हॉल को छू लिया।
The film's final scene moved the entire hall.
(film ke aakhirii siin ne poore hol ko chhoo liyaa।)
उसके आँसुओं ने वहाँ मौजूद हर किसी को छू दिया।
Her tears touched everyone who was present there.
(uske aansuon ne vahaan maujood har kisii ko chhoo diyaa।)
सच्चाई से लिखी बात हमेशा पाठक को छू जाती है।
Something written with honesty always touches the reader.
(sachchaaii se likhii baat hameshaa paathak ko chhoo jaatii hai।)
Sense
3
:
to reach, to attain (a height, a level)
verb, transitive Common in the fixed phrase आसमान छूना (aasmaan chhoonaa, 'to touch the sky'), used for achieving great heights of success.
Synonyms: पहुँचना (pahunchnaa, to arrive/reach)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in motivational speech and film dialogue alike -- आसमान छूना (aasmaan chhoonaa, 'to touch the sky') is the standard way to talk about someone's ambitions or achievements soaring.
Common Mistakes: 1) Don't confuse this figurative 'reach' with पहुँचना (pahunchnaa) -- छूना (chhoonaa) here specifically carries the sense of just barely reaching or grazing a peak/limit, often used boastfully or aspirationally, e.g. सफलता की ऊँचाइयों को छूना (saphaltaa kii oonchaaiyon ko chhoonaa, 'to touch the heights of success').
Sample Sentences:
उसकी कामयाबी ने नई ऊँचाइयाँ छू ली हैं।
His success has touched new heights.
(uskii kaamyaabii ne naii oonchaaiyaan chhoo lii hain।)
मेहनत करो तो एक दिन आसमान छू लोगे।
Work hard and one day you'll touch the sky.
(mehnat karo to ek din aasmaan chhoo loge।)
पिछले साल कंपनी का मुनाफा एक नया रिकॉर्ड छू गया।
Last year the company's profit touched a new record.
(pichhle saal kampnii kaa munaaphaa ek nayaa rikord chhoo gayaa।)
अगर वह इसी तरह मेहनत करता रहे तो जल्द ही अपने सपनों का आसमान छू लेगा।
If he keeps working this hard, he'll soon touch the sky of his dreams.
(agar vah isii tarah mehnat kartaa rahe to jald hii apne sapnon kaa aasmaan chhoo legaa।)
काश मेरी उड़ान भी कभी आसमान छू पाती।
I wish my flight too could someday touch the sky.
(kaash merii udaan bhii kabhii aasmaan chhoo paatii।)
बुखार रात भर में एक सौ चार डिग्री छू गया।
The fever touched one hundred four degrees overnight.
(bukhaar raat bhar men ek sau chaar digrii chhoo gayaa।)
शेयर बाज़ार आज सुबह अपने सबसे ऊँचे स्तर को छू रहा है।
The stock market is touching its highest level this morning.
(sheyar baazaar aaj subah apne sabse oonche star ko chhoo rahaa hai।)
जब वह छोटा था, हर कोई कहता था कि यह लड़का एक दिन आसमान छुएगा।
When he was little, everyone used to say that this boy would touch the sky someday.
(jab vah chhotaa thaa, har koii kahtaa thaa ki yah ladkaa ek din aasmaan chhuegaa।)
उम्मीद है कि इस बार बिक्री दस करोड़ का आँकड़ा छू ले।
It's hoped that this time sales will touch the ten-crore mark.
(ummiid hai ki is baar bikrii das karod kaa aankdaa chhoo le।)
पहाड़ की चोटी बादलों को छूती है।
The mountain's peak touches the clouds.
(pahaad kii chotii baadlon ko chhootii hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
छूना
(chhoonaa)
infinitive oblique:
छूने
(chhoone)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
छूता
(chhootaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
छूते
(chhoote)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
छूती
(chhootii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
छूतीं
(chhootiin)
continuous (sg.m):
छू रहा
(chhoo rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
छू रहे
(chhoo rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
छू रही
(chhoo rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
छू रहीं
(chhoo rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
छुआ
(chhuaa)
perfective (pl.m):
छुए
(chhue)
perfective (sg.f):
छुई
(chhuii)
perfective (pl.f):
छुईं
(chhuiin)
imperative (informal):
छू
(chhoo)
imperative (neutral):
छुओ
(chhuo)
imperative (formal):
छुइये
(chhuiye)
future (1sg.m):
छुऊँगा
(chhuoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
छुऊँगी
(chhuoongii)
future (1pl.m):
छुएँगे
(chhuenge)
future (1pl.f):
छुएँगी
(chhuengii)
future (2sg.m):
छुएगा
(chhuegaa)
future (2sg.f):
छुएगी
(chhuegii)
future (2pl.m):
छुओगे
(chhuoge)
future (2pl.f):
छुओगी
(chhuogii)
future (3sg.m):
छुएगा
(chhuegaa)
future (3sg.f):
छुएगी
(chhuegii)
future (3pl.m):
छुएँगे
(chhuenge)
future (3pl.f):
छुएँगी
(chhuengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
छुऊँ
(chhuoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
छुएँ
(chhuen)
subjunctive (2sg):
छुए
(chhue)
subjunctive (2pl):
छुओ
(chhuo)
subjunctive (3sg):
छुए
(chhue)
subjunctive (3pl):
छुएँ
(chhuen)