लिखाना (likhaanaa)
verb
The causative of लिखना (likhnaa, 'to write'): 'to have (something) written' or 'to get someone to write, enroll, register.' Also covers the common extended sense of getting oneself registered/enrolled somewhere.
Sense
1
:
to enroll, register, get (oneself/someone) registered
verb, transitive Common in fixed collocations like नाम लिखाना (naam likhaanaa, 'to enroll/register one's name') and शिकायत लिखाना (shikaayat likhaanaa, 'to file/lodge a complaint').
Synonyms: दर्ज कराना (darj karaanaa), भर्ती कराना (bhartii karaanaa, for hospital/institutional admission)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: स्कूल में नाम लिखाना (skool men naam likhaanaa, 'to enroll in school') and थाने में शिकायत लिखाना (thaane men shikaayat likhaanaa, 'to file a police complaint') are everyday civic-life phrases -- the causative captures the reality that an official actually writes the entry while you merely initiate it.
Common Mistakes: 1) शिकायत लिखाना (shikaayat likhaanaa) means 'to file a complaint' (at a police station, with an official), not literally 'to write a complaint' oneself -- the sense is bureaucratic/procedural. 2) नाम लिखाना (naam likhaanaa) for enrolling in a school or race is easily confused with नाम लेना (naam lenaa, 'to take/say a name'); they are unrelated.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपने बेटे का नाम स्कूल में लिखाया।
He enrolled his son in school.
(usne apne bete kaa naam skool men likhaayaa।)
मैं कल अपना नाम कॉलेज में लिखाऊँगी।
I will enroll myself in college tomorrow.
(main kal apnaa naam kolej men likhaaoongii।)
पहले अपना नाम रजिस्टर में लिखाओ, फिर अंदर जाओ।
First register your name in the register, then go inside.
(pahle apnaa naam rajistar men likhaao, phir andar jaao।)
उसने थाने में चोरी की शिकायत लिखाई।
He filed a complaint about the theft at the police station.
(usne thaane men chorii kii shikaayat likhaaii।)
हर साल लाखों बच्चे सरकारी स्कूलों में अपना नाम लिखाते हैं।
Every year millions of children enroll in government schools.
(har saal laakhon bachche sarkaarii skoolon men apnaa naam likhaate hain।)
अगर वह समय पर पहुँच जाता तो अपना नाम प्रतियोगिता में लिखा लेता।
If he had arrived on time, he would have registered his name in the competition.
(agar vah samay par pahunch jaataa to apnaa naam pratiyogitaa men likhaa letaa।)
वह अपनी शिकायत थाने में लिखा रहा है।
He is filing his complaint at the police station.
(vah apnii shikaayat thaane men likhaa rahaa hai।)
क्या तुमने अपना नाम वोटर लिस्ट में लिखाया है?
Have you registered your name on the voter list?
(kyaa tumne apnaa naam votar list men likhaayaa hai?)
आवेदकों से अनुरोध है कि वे अपना नाम समय रहते लिखा लें।
Applicants are requested to register their names in time.
(aavedkon se anurodh hai ki ve apnaa naam samay rahte likhaa len।)
उसका नाम अस्पताल के रिकॉर्ड में लिखाया गया।
His name was registered in the hospital's records.
(uskaa naam asptaal ke rikord men likhaayaa gayaa।)
अगर मुझे नौकरी मिल जाती, तो मैं अपना नाम इस कोर्स में भी लिखा लेता।
If I had gotten the job, I would have enrolled in this course too.
(agar mujhe naukrii mil jaatii, to main apnaa naam is kors men bhii likhaa letaa।)
Sense
2
:
to get/have something written (by someone else)
verb, transitive Causative frame: subject arranges for a second person (marked with से, se) to do the actual writing, e.g. चिट्ठी लिखाना (chitthii likhaanaa, 'to have a letter written').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Very much alive in scenes like the old bazaar scribe writing letters for the illiterate, or a lawyer's clerk drafting an affidavit -- the customer 'लिखाता है' (likhaataa hai) rather than writing it himself. This causative habit of thought -- getting things done through an intermediary -- shows up constantly in Hindi's causative verbs.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use लिखना (likhnaa) when they mean they got someone else to write something -- अपने बारे में लिखाया (apne baare men likhaayaa, 'had it written about myself') needs लिखाना, not लिखना, once another person is doing the physical writing. 2) The person who actually writes is marked with से (se), not को (ko): मुंशी से चिट्ठी लिखाई (munshii se chitthii likhaaii, 'had the letter written by the clerk').
Sample Sentences:
वह चिट्ठी लिखवाने के लिए मुनीम के पास गया।
He went to the scribe to have a letter written.
(vah chitthii likhvaane ke lie muniim ke paas gayaa।)
बूढ़ी औरत हर हफ्ते बाजार के मुनीम से चिट्ठी लिखाती है।
The old woman gets a letter written by the bazaar scribe every week.
(boodhii aurat har haphte baajaar ke muniim se chitthii likhaatii hai।)
वकील साहब क्लर्क से हलफनामा लिखा रहे हैं।
The lawyer is having the clerk write the affidavit.
(vakiil saahab klark se halaphnaamaa likhaa rahe hain।)
कृपया अपनी शिकायत यहीं लिखवा दें।
Please have your complaint written down right here.
(kripyaa apnii shikaayat yahiin likhvaa den।)
अगर वह पढ़ा-लिखा होता तो चिट्ठी खुद लिखता, मुनीम से न लिखवाता।
If he were literate, he would write the letter himself, not have the scribe write it.
(agar vah padhaa-likhaa hotaa to chitthii khud likhtaa, muniim se n likhvaataa।)
मैंने अपना विल वकील से लिखवाया।
I had my will drawn up by a lawyer.
(mainne apnaa vil vakiil se likhvaayaa।)
शायद वह अपना बयान थाने में लिखवाए।
Perhaps he will have his statement written down at the police station.
(shaayad vah apnaa bayaan thaane men likhvaae।)
एफआईआर लिखवाने के बाद ही पुलिस कार्रवाई करेगी।
The police will act only after the FIR is had written up.
(ephaaiiaar likhvaane ke baad hii pulis kaarrvaaii karegii।)
उसका दरख्वास्त किसी पढ़े-लिखे आदमी से लिखवाया गया।
His application was had written by some literate man.
(uskaa darakhvaast kisii padhe-likhe aadmii se likhvaayaa gayaa।)
गाँव में लोग अपनी दरखास्तें अक्सर पटवारी से लिखवाते हैं।
In the village, people often have their applications written by the land-record clerk.
(gaanv men log apnii darkhaasten aksar patvaarii se likhvaate hain।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
लिखाना
(likhaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
लिखाने
(likhaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
लिखाता
(likhaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
लिखाते
(likhaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
लिखाती
(likhaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
लिखातीं
(likhaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
लिखा रहा
(likhaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
लिखा रहे
(likhaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
लिखा रही
(likhaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
लिखा रहीं
(likhaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
लिखाया
(likhaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
लिखाए
(likhaae)
perfective (sg.f):
लिखाई
(likhaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
लिखाईं
(likhaaiin)
imperative (informal):
लिखा
(likhaa)
imperative (neutral):
लिखाओ
(likhaao)
imperative (formal):
लिखाइए
(likhaaie)
future (1sg.m):
लिखाऊँगा
(likhaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
लिखाऊँगी
(likhaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
लिखाएँगे
(likhaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
लिखाएँगी
(likhaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
लिखाएगा
(likhaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
लिखाएगी
(likhaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
लिखाओगे
(likhaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
लिखाओगी
(likhaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
लिखाएगा
(likhaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
लिखाएगी
(likhaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
लिखाएँगे
(likhaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
लिखाएँगी
(likhaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
लिखाऊँ
(likhaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
लिखाएँ
(likhaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
लिखाए
(likhaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
लिखाओ
(likhaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
लिखाए
(likhaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
लिखाएँ
(likhaaen)