रिहा करना (rihaa karnaa)

verb A compound expression meaning to release or set free (a prisoner, hostage, or detainee); रिहा (rihaa) is a borrowed Persian/Urdu adjective that never occurs alone in modern speech -- it exists only inside this करना (karnaa) frame (or the passive होना (honaa) frame). One core sense.
Sense 1 : to release, set free (a person)
verb, transitive Takes a direct object marked with को (ko) when the person is specific: उसे रिहा करना (use rihaa karnaa, 'to release him'). The passive/impersonal counterpart रिहा होना (rihaa honaa, 'to be released') is extremely common and often more natural than the active form when the speaker's focus is on the released person rather than the releasing authority.
Synonyms: आज़ाद करना (aazaad karnaa), छोड़ना (chhodnaa, more general, also means simply 'to leave/let go'), मुक्त करना (mukt karnaa, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the word you hear on the news whenever a hostage, political prisoner, or arrested activist is let go: बंधकों को रिहा कर दिया गया (bandhkon ko rihaa kar diyaa gayaa, 'the hostages were released'). It carries an official, legal-authority flavor -- police, courts, governments 'रिहा करना (rihaa karnaa)' someone, whereas a parent simply 'छोड़ना (chhodnaa)' or 'जाने देना (jaane denaa)' a child to go play.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say रिहा किया (rihaa kiyaa) alone when they mean 'was released', forgetting that the intransitive-flavored event needs रिहा होना (rihaa honaa) instead -- 'कैदी रिहा हुआ (kaidii rihaa huaa, 'the prisoner was released')' not 'कैदी ने रिहा किया (kaidii ne rihaa kiyaa)'. 2) रिहा (rihaa) itself never inflects or stands alone as a normal adjective describing a free person in casual speech -- for that, आज़ाद (aazaad) is the natural word ('आज़ाद आदमी', aazaad aadmii, 'a free man'), while रिहा (rihaa) is reserved almost exclusively for this formal release-from-custody frame.
Sample Sentences:
पुलिस ने आखिरकार उसे रिहा कर दिया। The police finally released him.
(pulis ne aakhirkaar use rihaa kar diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बंधकों को कल शाम रिहा कर दिया गया। The hostages were released yesterday evening.
(bandhkon ko kal shaam rihaa kar diyaa gayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अदालत उसे जमानत पर रिहा कर सकती है। The court can release him on bail.
(adaalat use jamaanat par rihaa kar saktii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सरकार राजनीतिक कैदियों को कब रिहा करेगी? When will the government release the political prisoners?
(sarkaar raajniitik kaidiyon ko kab rihaa karegii?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
कृपया कैदी को तुरंत रिहा करें। Please release the prisoner immediately.
(kripyaa kaidii ko turant rihaa karen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर सबूत काफी होते, तो उसे बहुत पहले रिहा कर दिया जाता। If the evidence had been sufficient, he would have been released long ago.
(agar saboot kaaphii hote, to use bahut pahle rihaa kar diyaa jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Passive
वकील चाहता है कि उसका मुवक्किल जल्द से जल्द रिहा हो। The lawyer wants his client to be released as soon as possible.
(vakiil chaahtaa hai ki uskaa muvakkil jald se jald rihaa ho।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पिछले साल इस जेल से दो सौ कैदी रिहा किए गए थे। Two hundred prisoners were released from this jail last year.
(pichhle saal is jel se do sau kaidii rihaa kie gae the।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
प्रशासन उग्रवादियों को रिहा करने पर विचार कर रहा है। The administration is considering releasing the militants.
(prashaasan ugrvaadiyon ko rihaa karne par vichaar kar rahaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अपहरणकर्ताओं ने बच्चे को फिरौती मिलते ही रिहा कर दिया। The kidnappers released the child as soon as they got the ransom.
(apahrankartaaon ne bachche ko phirautii milte hii rihaa kar diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive: रिहा करना (rihaa karnaa)
infinitive oblique: रिहा करने (rihaa karne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): रिहा करता (rihaa kartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): रिहा करते (rihaa karte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): रिहा करती (rihaa kartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): रिहा करतीं (rihaa kartiin)
continuous (sg.m): रिहा कर रहा (rihaa kar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): रिहा कर रहे (rihaa kar rahe)
continuous (sg.f): रिहा कर रही (rihaa kar rahii)
continuous (pl.f): रिहा कर रहीं (rihaa kar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): रिहा किया (rihaa kiyaa)
perfective (pl.m): रिहा किए (rihaa kie)
perfective (sg.f): रिहा की (rihaa kii)
perfective (pl.f): रिहा कीं (rihaa kiin)
imperative (informal): रिहा कर (rihaa kar)
imperative (neutral): रिहा करो (rihaa karo)
imperative (formal): रिहा कीजिए (rihaa kiijie)
future (1sg.m): रिहा करूँगा (rihaa karoongaa)
future (1sg.f): रिहा करूँगी (rihaa karoongii)
future (1pl.m): रिहा करेंगे (rihaa karenge)
future (1pl.f): रिहा करेंगी (rihaa karengii)
future (2sg.m): रिहा करेगा (rihaa karegaa)
future (2sg.f): रिहा करेगी (rihaa karegii)
future (2pl.m): रिहा करोगे (rihaa karoge)
future (2pl.f): रिहा करोगी (rihaa karogii)
future (3sg.m): रिहा करेगा (rihaa karegaa)
future (3sg.f): रिहा करेगी (rihaa karegii)
future (3pl.m): रिहा करेंगे (rihaa karenge)
future (3pl.f): रिहा करेंगी (rihaa karengii)
subjunctive (1sg): रिहा करूँ (rihaa karoon)
subjunctive (1pl): रिहा करें (rihaa karen)
subjunctive (2sg): रिहा करे (rihaa kare)
subjunctive (2pl): रिहा करो (rihaa karo)
subjunctive (3sg): रिहा करे (rihaa kare)
subjunctive (3pl): रिहा करें (rihaa karen)