निकलना (nikalnaa)
verb
An essential intransitive verb built around the core idea of 'coming/going out or forth'; it stretches from literal exit (leaving a place) to emergence (sun, results, tears) to turning-out-to-be (a fact revealed) and several idiomatic extensions.
Sense
1
:
to exit, leave, go/come out (of a place)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: बाहर जाना (baahar jaanaa), रवाना होना (ravaanaa honaa, departing on a journey)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the verb Delhi folks use constantly for daily comings and goings -- चलो, निकलते हैं (chalo, nikalte hain, 'come on, let's head out') is an extremely common way to signal it's time to leave a gathering, more casual and immediate-sounding than जाना (jaanaa) alone.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बाहर जाना (baahar jaanaa) by default, but निकलना (nikalnaa) is the more natural everyday choice for 'heading out' of the house, e.g. मैं घर से निकल रहा हूँ (main ghar se nikal rahaa hoon, 'I'm leaving the house'). 2) The place left is marked with से (se), not से before which learners sometimes insert को (ko) by analogy with destinations -- घर से निकलना (ghar se nikalnaa), not घर को निकलना.
Sample Sentences:
चलो, निकलते हैं, बहुत देर हो गई है।
Come on, let's head out, it's gotten really late.
(chalo, nikalte hain, bahut der ho gaii hai।)
वह सुबह नौ बजे घर से निकलता है।
He leaves home at nine in the morning.
(vah subah nau baje ghar se nikaltaa hai।)
हम कल दफ़्तर से जल्दी निकल गए थे।
We had left the office early yesterday.
(ham kal daftar se jaldii nikal gae the।)
वह कमरे से निकल रही है, ज़रा रुक जाओ।
She's coming out of the room, just wait a moment.
(vah kamre se nikal rahii hai, zaraa ruk jaao।)
अभी निकलो, वरना ट्रेन छूट जाएगी!
Leave right now, or you'll miss the train!
(abhii niklo, varnaa tren chhoot jaaegii!)
अगर मैं थोड़ा पहले निकलता तो मीटिंग नहीं छूटती।
If I had left a bit earlier, I wouldn't have missed the meeting.
(agar main thodaa pahle nikaltaa to miiting nahiin chhoottii।)
यह सुनिश्चित करें कि आपातकाल में सभी कर्मचारी इमारत से सुरक्षित निकल सकें।
Please ensure that in an emergency, all employees are able to exit the building safely.
(yah sunishchit karen ki aapaatkaal men sabhii karmchaarii imaarat se surakshit nikal saken।)
मीटिंग खत्म होते ही सब लोग जल्दी से निकल गए।
As soon as the meeting ended, everyone quickly left.
(miiting khatm hote hii sab log jaldii se nikal gae।)
आग लगने के बाद इमारत से सारे लोग निकाले गए।
After the fire broke out, all the people were evacuated from the building.
(aag lagne ke baad imaarat se saare log nikaale gae।)
क्या तुम पार्टी से इतनी जल्दी निकल जाओगे?
Will you leave the party this early?
(kyaa tum paartii se itnii jaldii nikal jaaoge?)
शायद वह अभी घर से निकल चुकी हो।
Maybe she has already left home by now.
(shaayad vah abhii ghar se nikal chukii ho।)
Sense
2
:
to emerge, appear, come out (sun, tooth, plant, result, etc.)
verb, intransitive Used with a wide range of natural/bodily/abstract subjects: सूरज निकलना (sooraj nikalnaa, 'the sun to come out'), दाँत निकलना (daant nikalnaa, 'a tooth to come in'), परिणाम निकलना (parinaam nikalnaa, 'a result to come out').
Synonyms: प्रकट होना (prakat honaa, more formal), उगना (ugnaa, specifically for plants/sun rising)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense captures a very Hindi way of framing emergence as something that happens on its own, almost independent of an agent -- आँसू निकल आए (aansoo nikal aae, 'tears welled up') treats the tears as the actor, not 'me crying', which echoes the involuntary-verb pattern seen elsewhere in the language (compare याद आना, yaad aanaa).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners translate 'the results came out' too literally with आना (aanaa) when निकलना (nikalnaa) is the natural verb for results, rashes, tears, sun, etc. emerging -- परिणाम निकल गया (parinaam nikal gayaa, 'the result came out').
Sample Sentences:
सुबह सूरज निकलता है।
The sun rises in the morning.
(subah sooraj nikaltaa hai।)
उसकी आँखों से आँसू निकल आए।
Tears welled up in her eyes.
(uskii aankhon se aansoo nikal aae।)
बच्चे का पहला दाँत निकल रहा है।
The baby's first tooth is coming out.
(bachche kaa pahlaa daant nikal rahaa hai।)
अगर बारिश हो तो घास से नए पौधे निकलेंगे।
If it rains, new sprouts will come out of the grass.
(agar baarish ho to ghaas se nae paudhe niklenge।)
इस गणित के सवाल का जवाब बिल्कुल अलग निकला।
The answer to this math problem came out completely different.
(is ganit ke savaal kaa javaab bilkul alag niklaa।)
काश उसकी बात से कोई नतीजा निकलता।
If only some result had come out of his talk.
(kaash uskii baat se koii natiijaa nikaltaa।)
पेड़ पर नई पत्तियाँ निकल चुकी हैं।
New leaves have already come out on the tree.
(ped par naii pattiyaan nikal chukii hain।)
जब उसने पुरानी तस्वीरें देखीं तो उसकी हँसी निकल गई।
When she saw the old photos, a laugh burst out of her.
(jab usne puraanii tasviiren dekhiin to uskii hansii nikal gaii।)
बादलों के पीछे से चाँद निकल आया।
The moon emerged from behind the clouds.
(baadlon ke piichhe se chaand nikal aayaa।)
उम्मीद है कि इस बहस से कोई हल निकले।
Let's hope some solution comes out of this debate.
(ummiid hai ki is bahas se koii hal nikle।)
जड़ों से पानी निकाला जाता है ताकि पौधा सूखे न।
Water is drawn out from the roots so that the plant does not dry up.
(jadon se paanii nikaalaa jaataa hai taaki paudhaa sookhe n।)
Sense
3
:
to turn out to be, to prove to be (on discovery)
verb, intransitive Common frame: [noun/adjective] निकलना (nikalnaa) -- वह झूठा निकला (vah jhoothaa niklaa, 'he turned out to be a liar').
Synonyms: साबित होना (saabit honaa, more formal/written)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense is beloved in storytelling and gossip -- वह चोर निकला (vah chor niklaa, 'he turned out to be a thief') has that satisfying 'plot twist' flavor Hindi speakers reach for when recounting how someone was unmasked.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often default to होना (honaa) for 'turned out to be', missing the nuance that निकलना (nikalnaa) specifically implies a discovery or revelation after the fact, not a simple state -- यह नकली निकला (yah naklii niklaa, 'this turned out to be fake', implies it was initially believed genuine).
Sample Sentences:
वह चोर निकला।
He turned out to be a thief.
(vah chor niklaa।)
यह खबर झूठी निकली।
This news turned out to be false.
(yah khabar jhoothii niklii।)
देखते हैं, यह योजना कैसी निकलती है।
Let's see how this plan turns out.
(dekhte hain, yah yojnaa kaisii nikaltii hai।)
अगर वह बेईमान निकला, तो हम क्या करेंगे?
If he turns out to be dishonest, what will we do?
(agar vah beiimaan niklaa, to ham kyaa karenge?)
अंत में सारी बातें सच निकलीं।
In the end, everything turned out to be true.
(ant men saarii baaten sach nikliin।)
अगर वह बेईमान निकलता, तो मुझे कोई हैरानी नहीं होती।
If he had turned out to be dishonest, I wouldn't have been surprised at all.
(agar vah beiimaan nikaltaa, to mujhe koii hairaanii nahiin hotii।)
यह अफवाह गलत निकल सकती है।
This rumor could turn out to be wrong.
(yah aphvaah galat nikal saktii hai।)
पता चला कि वह लड़का असल में उसका भाई निकला।
It turned out that the boy was actually his brother.
(pataa chalaa ki vah ladkaa asal men uskaa bhaaii niklaa।)
जो सस्ता सामान लगता है, वह अक्सर घटिया निकलता है।
Stuff that seems cheap often turns out to be shoddy.
(jo sastaa saamaan lagtaa hai, vah aksar ghatiyaa nikaltaa hai।)
उस पुरानी पांडुलिपि में लिखी भविष्यवाणी सच निकली, यह किसी को यकीन नहीं होता।
That the prophecy written in that old manuscript turned out to be true is something no one can quite believe.
(us puraanii paandulipi men likhii bhavishyvaanii sach niklii, yah kisii ko yakiin nahiin hotaa।)
जांच के बाद यह साबित हो गया कि दस्तावेज़ नकली निकाला गया था।
After the investigation, it was proven that the document was found to be fake.
(jaanch ke baad yah saabit ho gayaa ki dastaavez naklii nikaalaa gayaa thaa।)
Sense
4
:
to be removed, extracted, or pulled out
verb, intransitive Functions as the intransitive/inchoative counterpart to निकालना (nikaalnaa, 'to take out'): काँटा निकल गया (kaantaa nikal gayaa, 'the thorn came out').
Synonyms: निकाला जाना (nikaalaa jaanaa, explicit passive form)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This pairing shows up everywhere in daily life -- from stain removal to pulling a tooth to money coming out of an ATM (पैसे निकल आए, paise nikal aae) -- and mastering the निकलना (nikalnaa)/निकालना (nikaalnaa) pair is a genuine milestone in learning Hindi verb pairs.
Common Mistakes: 1) This is one of the classic transitive/intransitive pairs (निकलना (nikalnaa) intransitive vs. निकालना (nikaalnaa) transitive) -- learners who know ने-marking rules should note this pair explicitly, since mixing them up is a very frequent error: दाग निकल गया (daag nikal gayaa, 'the stain came out') vs. मैंने दाग निकाला (mainne daag nikaalaa, 'I removed the stain').
Sample Sentences:
यह दाग़ नहीं निकल रहा है।
This stain is not coming out.
(yah daagh nahiin nikal rahaa hai।)
डेंटिस्ट ने कहा कि यह दांत निकालना पड़ेगा, और कल यह निकल गया।
The dentist said this tooth would have to be pulled, and yesterday it came out.
(dentist ne kahaa ki yah daant nikaalnaa padegaa, aur kal yah nikal gayaa।)
एटीएम से पैसे निकल आए।
The money came out of the ATM.
(etiiem se paise nikal aae।)
काश यह कील बिना इतना दर्द दिए निकल जाती।
If only this nail had come out without so much pain.
(kaash yah kiil binaa itnaa dard die nikal jaatii।)
पुरानी अलमारी से ये कागज़ात निकले हैं।
These documents have come out from the old cupboard.
(puraanii almaarii se ye kaagzaat nikle hain।)
बोतल का ढक्कन आसानी से नहीं निकलता।
The bottle cap does not come off easily.
(botal kaa dhakkan aasaanii se nahiin nikaltaa।)
अगर पेंच ढीला हो तो वह अपने आप निकल जाएगा।
If the screw is loose, it will come out on its own.
(agar pench dhiilaa ho to vah apne aap nikal jaaegaa।)
मशीन से सारा तेल निकाल दिया गया, फिर भी थोड़ा निकलता रहा।
All the oil was extracted from the machine, yet a little kept coming out.
(mashiin se saaraa tel nikaal diyaa gayaa, phir bhii thodaa nikaltaa rahaa।)
कृपया देखिए कि सुई ठीक से निकल जाए।
Please make sure the needle comes out properly.
(kripyaa dekhie ki suii thiik se nikal jaae।)
जब भी बच्चा दूध की बोतल हिलाता, हवा के बुलबुले निकलते थे।
Whenever the baby shook the milk bottle, air bubbles would come out.
(jab bhii bachchaa doodh kii botal hilaataa, havaa ke bulbule nikalte the।)
कांटा पैर से निकल चुका है, अब चलने में आराम है।
The thorn has already come out of my foot, now it's comfortable to walk.
(kaantaa pair se nikal chukaa hai, ab chalne men aaraam hai।)
Sense
5
:
to set out, depart (on a journey or errand)
verb, intransitive Often paired with a destination via के लिए (ke lie): हम दिल्ली के लिए निकल रहे हैं (ham dillii ke lie nikal rahe hain, 'we're setting off for Delhi').
Synonyms: रवाना होना (ravaanaa honaa), चल पड़ना (chal padnaa, compound verb, more sudden/decisive)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Very practical travel-planning language -- सुबह जल्दी निकलना (subah jaldii nikalnaa, 'to set out early in the morning') is the standard way Indians talk about beating traffic or heat on a road trip.
Sample Sentences:
हमें सुबह जल्दी निकलना चाहिए ताकि रास्ते में ट्रैफिक न मिले।
We should set off early in the morning so we don't hit traffic on the way.
(hamen subah jaldii nikalnaa chaahie taaki raaste men traiphik n mile।)
कल हम सुबह पाँच बजे निकलेंगे।
Tomorrow we will set out at five in the morning.
(kal ham subah paanch baje niklenge।)
वे लोग पिछले हफ्ते तीर्थयात्रा पर निकले थे।
They had set out on a pilgrimage last week.
(ve log pichhle haphte tiirthyaatraa par nikle the।)
अभी निकल, वरना बस छूट जाएगी!
Leave right now, or you'll miss the bus!
(abhii nikal, varnaa bas chhoot jaaegii!)
अगर मौसम साफ होता तो हम पहाड़ों के लिए निकल पड़ते।
If the weather had been clear, we would have set off for the mountains.
(agar mausam saaph hotaa to ham pahaadon ke lie nikal padte।)
सुबह जल्दी निकलना ही अच्छा है, गर्मी बढ़ने से पहले।
It's best to set out early in the morning, before the heat picks up.
(subah jaldii nikalnaa hii achchhaa hai, garmii badhne se pahle।)
वह हर सोमवार को दफ्तर के लिए सात बजे निकलती है।
She sets off for the office at seven every Monday.
(vah har somvaar ko daphtar ke lie saat baje nikaltii hai।)
क्या हम अभी के लिए निकल सकते हैं?
Can we set off right now?
(kyaa ham abhii ke lie nikal sakte hain?)
यात्रियों को यह सलाह दी जाती है कि वे भोर से पहले ही निकल पड़ें।
Travelers are advised to set out well before dawn.
(yaatriyon ko yah salaah dii jaatii hai ki ve bhor se pahle hii nikal paden।)
काश मैं आज सुबह ही निकल पड़ता, अब देर हो गई है।
I wish I had set out this very morning; now it's gotten late.
(kaash main aaj subah hii nikal padtaa, ab der ho gaii hai।)
सेना भोर होते ही सीमा की ओर निकल पड़ी।
The army set out toward the border at the very break of dawn.
(senaa bhor hote hii siimaa kii or nikal padii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
निकलना
(nikalnaa)
infinitive oblique:
निकलने
(nikalne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
निकलता
(nikaltaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
निकलते
(nikalte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
निकलती
(nikaltii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
निकलतीं
(nikaltiin)
continuous (sg.m):
निकल रहा
(nikal rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
निकल रहे
(nikal rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
निकल रही
(nikal rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
निकल रहीं
(nikal rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
निकला
(niklaa)
perfective (pl.m):
निकले
(nikle)
perfective (sg.f):
निकली
(niklii)
perfective (pl.f):
निकलीं
(nikliin)
imperative (informal):
निकल
(nikal)
imperative (neutral):
निकलो
(niklo)
imperative (formal):
निकलिए
(niklie)
future (1sg.m):
निकलूँगा
(nikloongaa)
future (1sg.f):
निकलूँगी
(nikloongii)
future (1pl.m):
निकलेंगे
(niklenge)
future (1pl.f):
निकलेंगी
(niklengii)
future (2sg.m):
निकलेगा
(niklegaa)
future (2sg.f):
निकलेगी
(niklegii)
future (2pl.m):
निकलोगे
(nikloge)
future (2pl.f):
निकलोगी
(niklogii)
future (3sg.m):
निकलेगा
(niklegaa)
future (3sg.f):
निकलेगी
(niklegii)
future (3pl.m):
निकलेंगे
(niklenge)
future (3pl.f):
निकलेंगी
(niklengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
निकलूँ
(nikloon)
subjunctive (1pl):
निकलें
(niklen)
subjunctive (2sg):
निकले
(nikle)
subjunctive (2pl):
निकलो
(niklo)
subjunctive (3sg):
निकले
(nikle)
subjunctive (3pl):
निकलें
(niklen)