खोना (khonaa)
verb
Mainly 'to lose' something you had (an object, a chance, one's way) -- also extends to losing something intangible like composure or a person emotionally. A related sense means 'to get lost/absorbed' in thought or activity, usually as खो जाना (kho jaanaa).
Sense
1
:
to lose (an object, opportunity, or ability)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: गुम करना (gum karnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: A mother scolding a child often says अपनी चीज़ें मत खोया करो (apnii chiizen mat khoyaa karo, 'don't keep losing your things') -- खोना (khonaa) carries a note of carelessness, unlike simply 'not having' something.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use खोना (khonaa) where गुम होना (gum honaa, to become lost) is more natural for objects that went missing on their own -- खोना (khonaa) puts the blame/agency on the subject ('I lost it'), while गुम होना (gum honaa) describes the object's state.
Sample Sentences:
मैंने अपना फ़ोन खो दिया।
I lost my phone.
(mainne apnaa fon kho diyaa।)
अपनी चीज़ें मत खोया करो।
Don't keep losing your things.
(apnii chiizen mat khoyaa karo।)
वह अक्सर अपनी चाबियाँ खो देता है।
He often loses his keys.
(vah aksar apnii chaabiyaan kho detaa hai।)
अगर तुम लापरवाही करोगे तो अपना मौका खो दोगे।
If you are careless, you will lose your chance.
(agar tum laaparvaahii karoge to apnaa maukaa kho doge।)
काश मैंने वह नौकरी न खोई होती।
I wish I hadn't lost that job.
(kaash mainne vah naukrii n khoii hotii।)
दुर्घटना के बाद उसने अपनी सुनने की शक्ति खो दी।
After the accident, he lost his hearing ability.
(durghatnaa ke baad usne apnii sunne kii shakti kho dii।)
अगर तुम्हारा सामान खो जाए, तो फ़ौरन गार्ड को बताना।
If your luggage gets lost, tell the guard immediately.
(agar tumhaaraa saamaan kho jaae, to fauran gaard ko bataanaa।)
देरी की वजह से हम टेंडर खो बैठे।
Because of the delay, we ended up losing the tender.
(derii kii vajah se ham tendar kho baithe।)
कृपया अपने दस्तावेज़ मत खोइए, दोबारा बनवाना मुश्किल है।
Please don't lose your documents, it's difficult to get them made again.
(kripyaa apne dastaavez mat khoie, dobaaraa banvaanaa mushkil hai।)
लापरवाही से पैसे खोए जाते हैं, यह उन्हें कब समझ आएगा?
Money gets lost through carelessness -- when will they understand this?
(laaparvaahii se paise khoe jaate hain, yah unhen kab samajh aaegaa?)
बचपन में मैंने कई खिलौने खोए थे।
In my childhood, I had lost many toys.
(bachpan men mainne kaii khilaune khoe the।)
Sense
2
:
to lose (a person, emotionally or through death)
verb, transitive
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: उसने अपने पिता को खो दिया (usne apne pitaa ko kho diyaa, 'he lost his father') is the standard, gentle way to talk about a death in the family -- it softens the directness of मर गया (mar gayaa, 'died') and is what you'll hear in condolences.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपने पिता को खो दिया।
He lost his father.
(usne apne pitaa ko kho diyaa।)
पिछले साल उन्होंने अपनी माँ को खो दिया था।
Last year, they lost their mother.
(pichhle saal unhonne apnii maan ko kho diyaa thaa।)
मुझे बहुत दुख है कि आपने अपने पति को खो दिया।
I am very sorry that you lost your husband.
(mujhe bahut dukh hai ki aapne apne pati ko kho diyaa।)
अगर हम उसे भी खो देते, तो मैं टूट जाता।
If we had lost him too, I would have broken down.
(agar ham use bhii kho dete, to main toot jaataa।)
बहुत से लोग महामारी में अपने प्रियजनों को खो चुके हैं।
Many people have already lost their loved ones in the pandemic.
(bahut se log mahaamaarii men apne priyajnon ko kho chuke hain।)
भगवान न करे, कोई अपना बच्चा खोए।
God forbid, may no one lose their child.
(bhagvaan n kare, koii apnaa bachchaa khoe।)
इतनी कम उम्र में भाई को खोना बहुत मुश्किल होता है।
Losing a brother at such a young age is very difficult.
(itnii kam umr men bhaaii ko khonaa bahut mushkil hotaa hai।)
युद्ध में न जाने कितने सैनिकों ने अपनी जान गंवाई और परिवारों ने अपनों को खोया।
Countless soldiers lost their lives in the war, and families lost their loved ones.
(yuddh men n jaane kitne sainikon ne apnii jaan ganvaaii aur parivaaron ne apnon ko khoyaa।)
जिन्होंने अपनों को खोया है, उनका दर्द कोई नहीं समझ सकता।
No one can understand the pain of those who have lost their loved ones.
(jinhonne apnon ko khoyaa hai, unkaa dard koii nahiin samajh saktaa।)
काश हम उसे इतनी जल्दी न खोते।
If only we hadn't lost him so soon.
(kaash ham use itnii jaldii n khote।)
क्या तुम्हें डर नहीं लगता कि तुम अपनी दादी को खो दोगे?
Aren't you afraid that you'll lose your grandmother?
(kyaa tumhen dar nahiin lagtaa ki tum apnii daadii ko kho doge?)
Sense
3
:
to become lost, absorbed, or disappear into (as खो जाना)
verb, intransitive This sense is almost always realized as the compound खो जाना (kho jaanaa) -- the intransitive 'go' completes the verb into a state-change meaning, distinct from the plain transitive 'lose' senses above.
Synonyms: गुम हो जाना (gum ho jaanaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: खो जाना (kho jaanaa) is the phrase for a child lost in a mela (melaa, fair) as well as for someone lost in music or memory -- Hindi uses the same verb for physical and mental 'losing yourself,' which is a nice window into how the language frames absorption.
Common Mistakes: 1) वह अपने विचारों में खो गया (vah apne vichaaron men kho gayaa, 'he got lost in his thoughts') uses खो जाना (kho jaanaa) for mental absorption -- learners often reach for सोचना (sochnaa, 'to think') instead, missing this very idiomatic frame.
Sample Sentences:
मेले में बच्चा खो गया।
The child got lost in the fair.
(mele men bachchaa kho gayaa।)
वह गाने में खो जाती है।
She gets lost in the song.
(vah gaane men kho jaatii hai।)
वह अपनी यादों में खो रहा है।
He is lost in his memories.
(vah apnii yaadon men kho rahaa hai।)
भीड़ में मत खो जाना, मेरा हाथ पकड़े रहो।
Don't get lost in the crowd, keep holding my hand.
(bhiid men mat kho jaanaa, meraa haath pakde raho।)
अगर तुम भीड़ में खो जाओ तो सीधे गेट पर आ जाना।
If you get lost in the crowd, come straight to the gate.
(agar tum bhiid men kho jaao to siidhe get par aa jaanaa।)
अगर मैं थोड़ी देर और सोचता रहता तो शायद खयालों में ही खो जाता।
If I had kept thinking a little longer, I probably would have gotten lost in my thoughts.
(agar main thodii der aur sochtaa rahtaa to shaayad khayaalon men hii kho jaataa।)
किताब पढ़ते-पढ़ते वह इतनी खो गई कि खाना बनाना ही भूल गई।
She got so absorbed in reading the book that she forgot to even cook.
(kitaab padhte-padhte vah itnii kho gaii ki khaanaa banaanaa hii bhool gaii।)
पहाड़ों की खूबसूरती में इंसान खो जाता है।
A person gets lost in the beauty of the mountains.
(pahaadon kii khoobsoortii men insaan kho jaataa hai।)
साधक ध्यान में इस तरह खो जाता है कि उसे समय का भान नहीं रहता।
The seeker becomes so absorbed in meditation that he loses all sense of time.
(saadhak dhyaan men is tarah kho jaataa hai ki use samay kaa bhaan nahiin rahtaa।)
कल मेला बहुत भीड़भाड़ वाला था, दो-तीन बच्चे खो गए थे।
The fair was very crowded yesterday, two or three children got lost.
(kal melaa bahut bhiidbhaad vaalaa thaa, do-tiin bachche kho gae the।)
जब वह भजन गाने लगता है, तो वह खुद को पूरी तरह खो देता है।
When he starts singing devotional songs, he loses himself completely.
(jab vah bhajan gaane lagtaa hai, to vah khud ko poorii tarah kho detaa hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
खोना
(khonaa)
infinitive oblique:
खोने
(khone)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
खोता
(khotaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
खोते
(khote)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
खोती
(khotii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
खोतीं
(khotiin)
continuous (sg.m):
खो रहा
(kho rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
खो रहे
(kho rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
खो रही
(kho rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
खो रहीं
(kho rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
खोया
(khoyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
खोए
(khoe)
perfective (sg.f):
खोई
(khoii)
perfective (pl.f):
खोईं
(khoiin)
imperative (informal):
खो
(kho)
imperative (neutral):
खोओ
(khoo)
imperative (formal):
खोइए
(khoie)
future (1sg.m):
खोऊँगा
(khooongaa)
future (1sg.f):
खोऊँगी
(khooongii)
future (1pl.m):
खोएँगे
(khoenge)
future (1pl.f):
खोएँगी
(khoengii)
future (2sg.m):
खोएगा
(khoegaa)
future (2sg.f):
खोएगी
(khoegii)
future (2pl.m):
खोओगे
(khooge)
future (2pl.f):
खोओगी
(khoogii)
future (3sg.m):
खोएगा
(khoegaa)
future (3sg.f):
खोएगी
(khoegii)
future (3pl.m):
खोएँगे
(khoenge)
future (3pl.f):
खोएँगी
(khoengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
खोऊँ
(khooon)
subjunctive (1pl):
खोएँ
(khoen)
subjunctive (2sg):
खोए
(khoe)
subjunctive (2pl):
खोओ
(khoo)
subjunctive (3sg):
खोए
(khoe)
subjunctive (3pl):
खोएँ
(khoen)