कमाना (kamaanaa)
verb
A transitive verb centered on earning or making money through work, with a common extended sense of earning something intangible like a reputation, name, or credit.
Sense
1
:
to earn (money, a living)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: अर्जित करना (arjit karnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in everyday talk about work and family life: कौन कमाता है? (kaun kamaataa hai, 'who earns [in the family]?') is a very ordinary question in India, since household income is often discussed openly among relatives and neighbors in a way that might feel more private elsewhere.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say पैसे बनाना (paise banaanaa) as a direct calque of 'make money' -- कमाना (kamaanaa) is the natural verb Hindi speakers use for earning through work. 2) रोज़ी कमाना (rozii kamaanaa, 'to earn a livelihood') and पैसा कमाना (paisaa kamaanaa, 'to earn money') are both extremely common collocations worth learning as chunks.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे पिता जी हर महीने अच्छे पैसे कमाते हैं।
My father earns good money every month.
(mere pitaa jii har mahiine achchhe paise kamaate hain।)
घर में कौन कमाता है?
Who earns [an income] in the household?
(ghar men kaun kamaataa hai?)
वह दिल्ली में रहकर पैसे कमा रहा है।
He is earning money while living in Delhi.
(vah dillii men rahkar paise kamaa rahaa hai।)
पिछले साल उसने बहुत पैसा कमाया।
He earned a lot of money last year.
(pichhle saal usne bahut paisaa kamaayaa।)
अगर मैं ज़्यादा कमाता, तो अपना घर बना लेता।
If I earned more, I would have built my own house.
(agar main zyaadaa kamaataa, to apnaa ghar banaa letaa।)
जितना कमाओ, उतना बचाओ।
Save as much as you earn.
(jitnaa kamaao, utnaa bachaao।)
अगले साल तक वह अच्छी सैलरी कमाएगा।
By next year he will earn a good salary.
(agle saal tak vah achchhii sailrii kamaaegaa।)
इतनी मेहनत के बाद भी उसने कुछ नहीं कमाया।
Even after so much hard work, he didn't earn anything.
(itnii mehnat ke baad bhii usne kuchh nahiin kamaayaa।)
इस फैक्ट्री में मज़दूरों द्वारा जो पैसा कमाया जाता है, वह बहुत कम है।
The money that is earned by the workers in this factory is very little.
(is phaiktrii men mazdooron dvaaraa jo paisaa kamaayaa jaataa hai, vah bahut kam hai।)
काश मैं भी इतना कमाता जितना मेरा भाई कमाता है।
I wish I earned as much as my brother earns.
(kaash main bhii itnaa kamaataa jitnaa meraa bhaaii kamaataa hai।)
उसने विदेश जाकर बहुत सारा पैसा कमाया है।
He has earned a lot of money by going abroad.
(usne videsh jaakar bahut saaraa paisaa kamaayaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
to earn (reputation, name, credit -- figurative)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: हासिल करना (haasil karnaa)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: बदनामी कमाना (badnaamii kamaanaa, 'to earn a bad name') is a set phrase you will hear in scoldings and gossip alike -- it treats reputation, like money, as something you accumulate through your actions.
Common Mistakes: 1) This figurative sense pairs with abstract nouns like नाम (naam, 'name/fame'), बदनामी (badnaamii, 'bad reputation'), or इज़्ज़त (izzat, 'respect') -- learners sometimes reach for बनाना (banaanaa) here, but कमाना (kamaanaa) is idiomatic when the thing gained is the result of one's effort or conduct, good or bad.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपनी बेईमानी से पूरे इलाके में बदनामी कमाई।
He earned a bad name throughout the neighborhood through his dishonesty.
(usne apnii beiimaanii se poore ilaake men badnaamii kamaaii।)
अपनी मेहनत और ईमानदारी से उसने बहुत नाम कमाया है।
He has earned a great name through his hard work and honesty.
(apnii mehnat aur iimaandaarii se usne bahut naam kamaayaa hai।)
ऐसी हरकतों से तुम बस बदनामी कमाओगे, कुछ और नहीं।
With such behavior you will only earn a bad name, nothing else.
(aisii harakton se tum bas badnaamii kamaaoge, kuchh aur nahiin।)
अच्छा काम करो, नाम कमाओ, बदनामी नहीं।
Do good work, earn a good name, not a bad one.
(achchhaa kaam karo, naam kamaao, badnaamii nahiin।)
अगर वह इतनी बेइज्जती करता रहता, तो और भी बदनामी कमाता।
If he had kept insulting people like that, he would have earned even more of a bad name.
(agar vah itnii beijjtii kartaa rahtaa, to aur bhii badnaamii kamaataa।)
समाज सेवा करते-करते उसने लोगों के बीच बड़ा सम्मान कमा लिया।
Through his social service, he earned great respect among the people.
(samaaj sevaa karte-karte usne logon ke biich badaa sammaan kamaa liyaa।)
झूठ बोलने की आदत के कारण उसकी बदनामी कमाई जा रही है।
Because of his habit of lying, a bad reputation is being earned for him.
(jhooth bolne kii aadat ke kaaran uskii badnaamii kamaaii jaa rahii hai।)
काश वह ऐसी बदनामी न कमाता।
If only he hadn't earned such a bad name.
(kaash vah aisii badnaamii n kamaataa।)
शायद उसकी ईमानदारी से घर का नाम फिर से कमाया जाए।
Perhaps through his honesty the family's good name may be earned back again.
(shaayad uskii iimaandaarii se ghar kaa naam phir se kamaayaa jaae।)
अपनी करनी से इतनी बदनामी मत कमाओ कि घर वालों को भी शर्म आए।
Don't earn such a bad name through your actions that even your family feels ashamed.
(apnii karnii se itnii badnaamii mat kamaao ki ghar vaalon ko bhii sharm aae।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
कमाना
(kamaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
कमाने
(kamaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
कमाता
(kamaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
कमाते
(kamaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
कमाती
(kamaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
कमातीं
(kamaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
कमा रहा
(kamaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
कमा रहे
(kamaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
कमा रही
(kamaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
कमा रहीं
(kamaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
कमाया
(kamaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
कमाए
(kamaae)
perfective (sg.f):
कमाई
(kamaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
कमाईं
(kamaaiin)
imperative (informal):
कमा
(kamaa)
imperative (neutral):
कमाओ
(kamaao)
imperative (formal):
कमाइए
(kamaaie)
future (1sg.m):
कमाऊँगा
(kamaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
कमाऊँगी
(kamaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
कमाएँगे
(kamaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
कमाएँगी
(kamaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
कमाएगा
(kamaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
कमाएगी
(kamaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
कमाओगे
(kamaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
कमाओगी
(kamaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
कमाएगा
(kamaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
कमाएगी
(kamaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
कमाएँगे
(kamaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
कमाएँगी
(kamaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
कमाऊँ
(kamaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
कमाएँ
(kamaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
कमाए
(kamaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
कमाओ
(kamaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
कमाए
(kamaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
कमाएँ
(kamaaen)