हँसना (hansnaa)
verb
A single core sense: to laugh or smile. Also appears in a few common idioms about mocking or making fun of someone, noted below.
Sense
1
:
to laugh, to smile
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: मुस्कुराना (muskuraanaa, to smile), खिलखिलाना (khilkhilaanaa, to giggle/laugh brightly)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: हँसना (hansnaa) covers both a hearty laugh and a simple smile depending on context and tone, so a sentence like वह हँस रही थी (vah hans rahii thii, 'she was laughing/smiling') can mean either, unlike English which forces you to pick one. In everyday speech you'll also hear it in the common expression हँसते हँसते (hanste hanste, 'while laughing'), used to describe doing something amid laughter.
Common Mistakes: 1) हँसना (hansnaa) is intransitive and does not take ने (ne) in the perfective -- learners sometimes wrongly add it by analogy with other past-tense verbs: वह हँसा (vah hansaa, 'he laughed'), not वह ने हँसा। 2) To laugh AT someone uses पर (par): वह मुझ पर हँसा (vah mujh par hansaa, 'he laughed at me') -- learners often reach for पे (pe, colloquial variant of पर) or गुस्से से translate literally with 'at' using को, which is wrong here.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चे पार्क में खेलते हुए हँस रहे हैं।
The children are laughing while playing in the park.
(bachche paark men khelte hue hans rahe hain।)
वह मेरी बात सुनकर हँस पड़ी।
She burst out laughing when she heard what I said.
(vah merii baat sunkar hans padii।)
वह हँस रही थी, पता नहीं खुश थी या बस मुस्कुरा रही थी।
She was laughing (or smiling), I couldn't tell if she was happy or just amused.
(vah hans rahii thii, pataa nahiin khush thii yaa bas muskuraa rahii thii।)
वे हँसते हँसते पूरी कहानी सुना गए।
They told the whole story while laughing.
(ve hanste hanste poorii kahaanii sunaa gae।)
कृपया थोड़ा हँसिए, फ़ोटो अच्छी आएगी।
Please smile a little, the photo will come out nice.
(kripyaa thodaa hansie, foto achchhii aaegii।)
अगर वह मेरा मज़ाक सुनता तो जरूर हँसता।
If he had heard my joke, he would definitely have laughed.
(agar vah meraa mazaak suntaa to jaroor hanstaa।)
मुझे उम्मीद है कि वह मेरी बात पर हँसे, नाराज़ न हो।
I hope he laughs at what I said and doesn't get angry.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki vah merii baat par hanse, naaraaz n ho।)
हँसना सेहत के लिए बहुत अच्छा माना जाता है।
Laughing is considered very good for health.
(hansnaa sehat ke lie bahut achchhaa maanaa jaataa hai।)
उसकी आँखें हँस रही थीं, हालाँकि वह चुप थी।
Her eyes were smiling, even though she was silent.
(uskii aankhen hans rahii thiin, haalaanki vah chup thii।)
जब भी वह कोई पुरानी याद सुनाता है, सब हँसते हैं।
Whenever he tells some old memory, everyone laughs.
(jab bhii vah koii puraanii yaad sunaataa hai, sab hanste hain।)
इतना मत हँसो, लोग देख रहे हैं।
Don't laugh so much, people are watching.
(itnaa mat hanso, log dekh rahe hain।)
Sense
2
:
to mock, make fun of (someone)
verb, intransitive This sense is built on the same verb but requires the पर (par) frame -- किसी पर हँसना (kisii par hansnaa) -- to shift the meaning from plain laughter to mockery.
Synonyms: मज़ाक उड़ाना (mazaak udaanaa, to make fun of), उपहास करना (upahaas karnaa, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is really the same verb as plain 'laughing', just given a target with पर (par) -- Hindi doesn't need a separate word for 'mock' the way English sometimes reaches for one; the postposition alone does the work of turning innocent laughter into ridicule.
Sample Sentences:
सब लोग उसकी गलती पर हँसने लगे।
Everyone started laughing at his mistake.
(sab log uskii galtii par hansne lage।)
मुझ पर मत हँसो, यह कोई मज़ाक नहीं है।
Don't laugh at me, this isn't a joke.
(mujh par mat hanso, yah koii mazaak nahiin hai।)
बच्चे हमेशा उसके पहनावे पर हँसते हैं।
The kids always laugh at his clothes.
(bachche hameshaa uske pahnaave par hanste hain।)
वे मेरी हिंदी पर हँस रहे थे।
They were laughing at my Hindi.
(ve merii hindii par hans rahe the।)
अगर तुम उसकी असफलता पर हँसोगे, तो वह बहुत आहत होगा।
If you laugh at his failure, he'll be very hurt.
(agar tum uskii asphaltaa par hansoge, to vah bahut aahat hogaa।)
काश वे मेरी कमज़ोरी पर न हँसते।
I wish they hadn't laughed at my weakness.
(kaash ve merii kamzorii par n hanste।)
दफ़्तर में सब उसके पुराने फ़ोन पर हँसते हैं।
Everyone at the office makes fun of his old phone.
(daftar men sab uske puraane fon par hanste hain।)
किसी की मजबूरी पर हँसना अच्छी बात नहीं है।
It's not right to mock someone's helplessness.
(kisii kii majboorii par hansnaa achchhii baat nahiin hai।)
उसके लहजे पर हँसा गया, फिर भी उसने बोलना बंद नहीं किया।
He was mocked for his accent, yet he didn't stop speaking.
(uske lahje par hansaa gayaa, phir bhii usne bolnaa band nahiin kiyaa।)
शायद वे मेरी सोच पर हँसें, पर मुझे परवाह नहीं।
Maybe they'll laugh at my thinking, but I don't care.
(shaayad ve merii soch par hansen, par mujhe parvaah nahiin।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
हँसना
(hansnaa)
infinitive oblique:
हँसने
(hansne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
हँसता
(hanstaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
हँसते
(hanste)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
हँसती
(hanstii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
हँसतीं
(hanstiin)
continuous (sg.m):
हँस रहा
(hans rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
हँस रहे
(hans rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
हँस रही
(hans rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
हँस रहीं
(hans rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
हँसा
(hansaa)
perfective (pl.m):
हँसे
(hanse)
perfective (sg.f):
हँसी
(hansii)
perfective (pl.f):
हँसीं
(hansiin)
imperative (informal):
हँस
(hans)
imperative (neutral):
हँसो
(hanso)
imperative (formal):
हँसिए
(hansie)
future (1sg.m):
हँसूँगा
(hansoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
हँसूँगी
(hansoongii)
future (1pl.m):
हँसेंगे
(hansenge)
future (1pl.f):
हँसेंगी
(hansengii)
future (2sg.m):
हँसेगा
(hansegaa)
future (2sg.f):
हँसेगी
(hansegii)
future (2pl.m):
हँसोगे
(hansoge)
future (2pl.f):
हँसोगी
(hansogii)
future (3sg.m):
हँसेगा
(hansegaa)
future (3sg.f):
हँसेगी
(hansegii)
future (3pl.m):
हँसेंगे
(hansenge)
future (3pl.f):
हँसेंगी
(hansengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
हँसूँ
(hansoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
हँसें
(hansen)
subjunctive (2sg):
हँसे
(hanse)
subjunctive (2pl):
हँसो
(hanso)
subjunctive (3sg):
हँसे
(hanse)
subjunctive (3pl):
हँसें
(hansen)