सुलझाना (suljhaanaa)
verb
A transitive verb meaning to untangle or resolve something -- used both literally, for physical knots and tangles, and figuratively, for problems, disputes, or confusions. Related to the intransitive उलझना (ulajhnaa, 'to get tangled') and सुलझना (sulajhnaa, 'to become untangled/resolved').
Sense
1
:
to resolve, sort out (a problem, dispute, confusion)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: हल करना (hal karnaa), निपटाना (niptaanaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Hindi speakers love the physical metaphor here: a problem (मसला/समस्या, maslaa/samasyaa) is imagined as a tangled thread or knot, and सुलझाना (suljhaanaa) is the patient, careful act of working it loose -- much gentler in feel than the more clinical हल करना (hal karnaa). You'll hear it constantly in contexts of family disputes, office misunderstandings, or emotional confusion.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for हल करना (hal karnaa) by default for every 'solve' context, but सुलझाना (suljhaanaa) is the natural choice when the problem is described as tangled or confused (a dispute, a misunderstanding, a knotty situation) rather than a math or logic puzzle. 2) The subject that resolves the issue takes ने (ne) in the perfective, since this is a straightforward transitive verb -- मैंने मसला सुलझाया (mainne maslaa suljhaayaa, 'I resolved the issue').
Sample Sentences:
हमें यह मसला मिलकर सुलझाना चाहिए।
We should sort out this issue together.
(hamen yah maslaa milkar suljhaanaa chaahie।)
उसने बड़ी समझदारी से अपने भाई-बहनों का झगड़ा सुलझा दिया।
She resolved her siblings' quarrel very wisely.
(usne badii samajhdaarii se apne bhaaii-bahnon kaa jhagdaa suljhaa diyaa।)
वह हर दफ्तर की उलझन को धीरे-धीरे सुलझाता है।
He resolves every office confusion little by little.
(vah har daphtar kii uljhan ko dhiire-dhiire suljhaataa hai।)
कृपया यह गलतफहमी अभी सुलझा लीजिए, वरना बात बिगड़ जाएगी।
Please sort out this misunderstanding right now, or things will get worse.
(kripyaa yah galatphahmii abhii suljhaa liijie, varnaa baat bigad jaaegii।)
अगर वह थोड़ा शांत रहता, तो यह मामला कब का सुलझ गया होता।
If he had stayed a little calm, this matter would have been resolved long ago.
(agar vah thodaa shaant rahtaa, to yah maamlaa kab kaa sulajh gayaa hotaa।)
यह समस्या मध्यस्थ की मदद से सुलझाई गई।
This problem was resolved with the help of a mediator.
(yah samasyaa madhyasth kii madad se suljhaaii gaii।)
मैं कल तक यह विवाद सुलझा दूँगा।
I will resolve this dispute by tomorrow.
(main kal tak yah vivaad suljhaa doongaa।)
काश हम अपने मन की उलझन को इतनी आसानी से सुलझा पाते।
If only we could resolve the confusion in our minds so easily.
(kaash ham apne man kii uljhan ko itnii aasaanii se suljhaa paate।)
पंचायत ने गाँव के ज़मीन के विवाद को सुलझाया।
The village council resolved the land dispute.
(panchaayat ne gaanv ke zamiin ke vivaad ko suljhaayaa।)
शायद बातचीत से यह पेचीदा मसला सुलझ जाए।
Perhaps this complicated issue will get resolved through conversation.
(shaayad baatchiit se yah pechiidaa maslaa sulajh jaae।)
वे दोनों घंटों बैठकर अपनी नौकरी की उलझन सुलझाते रहे।
The two of them kept sitting for hours, sorting out their job-related confusion.
(ve donon ghanton baithkar apnii naukrii kii uljhan suljhaate rahe।)
Sense
2
:
to untangle, disentangle (something physically knotted)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: खोलना (kholnaa, meaning scope: also 'to open/undo')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the literal root sense -- think of untangling a ball of wool (उलझा हुआ धागा, uljhaa huaa dhaagaa, 'tangled thread') or messy hair. It sits right beside the figurative sense above; native speakers move fluidly between the physical and the metaphorical without feeling like they've switched words.
Sample Sentences:
पहले इस उलझे हुए धागे को सुलझाओ, फिर बुनाई शुरू करना।
First untangle this tangled thread, then start knitting.
(pahle is uljhe hue dhaage ko suljhaao, phir bunaaii shuroo karnaa।)
वह हर शाम अपने बालों की उलझन सुलझाती है।
She untangles her hair every evening.
(vah har shaam apne baalon kii uljhan suljhaatii hai।)
मैं आधे घंटे से यह डोरी सुलझा रहा हूँ।
I have been untangling this string for half an hour.
(main aadhe ghante se yah dorii suljhaa rahaa hoon।)
आखिरकार उसने माला की उलझी हुई डोरी सुलझा ली।
Finally she managed to untangle the garland's knotted string.
(aakhirkaar usne maalaa kii uljhii huii dorii suljhaa lii।)
क्या तुम मेरे कानों की बालियों की चेन सुलझा दोगे?
Will you untangle the chain of my earrings for me?
(kyaa tum mere kaanon kii baaliyon kii chen suljhaa doge?)
अगर धागा इतना पुराना न होता, तो मैं इसे आसानी से सुलझा लेता।
If the thread weren't so old, I would have untangled it easily.
(agar dhaagaa itnaa puraanaa n hotaa, to main ise aasaanii se suljhaa letaa।)
उलझी हुई रस्सी को सुलझाना इतना आसान नहीं था जितना लग रहा था।
Untangling the knotted rope wasn't as easy as it looked.
(uljhii huii rassii ko suljhaanaa itnaa aasaan nahiin thaa jitnaa lag rahaa thaa।)
बच्चे की पतंग की डोर पेड़ में उलझ गई थी, इसलिए मुझे उसे सुलझाना पड़ा।
The child's kite string had gotten tangled in the tree, so I had to untangle it.
(bachche kii patang kii dor ped men ulajh gaii thii, islie mujhe use suljhaanaa padaa।)
यह गुत्थी इतनी कसकर बंधी है कि सुलझाई ही नहीं जा रही।
This knot is tied so tight that it just cannot be untangled.
(yah gutthii itnii kaskar bandhii hai ki suljhaaii hii nahiin jaa rahii।)
जरा धैर्य रखो, ऊन की यह उलझन सुलझ जाएगी।
Just be patient, this tangle of wool will get untangled.
(jaraa dhairy rakho, oon kii yah uljhan sulajh jaaegii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
सुलझाना
(suljhaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
सुलझाने
(suljhaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
सुलझाता
(suljhaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
सुलझाते
(suljhaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
सुलझाती
(suljhaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
सुलझातीं
(suljhaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
सुलझा रहा
(suljhaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
सुलझा रहे
(suljhaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
सुलझा रही
(suljhaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
सुलझा रहीं
(suljhaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
सुलझाया
(suljhaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
सुलझाए
(suljhaae)
perfective (sg.f):
सुलझाई
(suljhaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
सुलझाईं
(suljhaaiin)
imperative (informal):
सुलझा
(suljhaa)
imperative (neutral):
सुलझाओ
(suljhaao)
imperative (formal):
सुलझाइए
(suljhaaie)
future (1sg.m):
सुलझाऊँगा
(suljhaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
सुलझाऊँगी
(suljhaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
सुलझाएँगे
(suljhaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
सुलझाएँगी
(suljhaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
सुलझाएगा
(suljhaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
सुलझाएगी
(suljhaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
सुलझाओगे
(suljhaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
सुलझाओगी
(suljhaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
सुलझाएगा
(suljhaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
सुलझाएगी
(suljhaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
सुलझाएँगे
(suljhaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
सुलझाएँगी
(suljhaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
सुलझाऊँ
(suljhaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
सुलझाएँ
(suljhaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
सुलझाए
(suljhaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
सुलझाओ
(suljhaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
सुलझाए
(suljhaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
सुलझाएँ
(suljhaaen)