लिखना (likhnaa)
verb
A core, everyday transitive verb meaning 'to write'; it also extends naturally into a couple of common figurative and idiomatic uses (fate being 'written', a name being 'entered' somewhere).
Sense
1
:
to write (letters, words, a document)
verb, transitive
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of the first 'action' verbs every learner meets, usually paired with पढ़ना (padhnaa, 'to read/study') in classroom contexts -- लिखना-पढ़ना (likhnaa-padhnaa) together evoke basic literacy and schooling in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget ने (ne) marking in the perfective: since लिखना (likhnaa) is transitive, past-tense sentences need ने (ne) on the subject, e.g. उसने चिट्ठी लिखी (usne chitthii likhii, 'she wrote a letter'), with the verb agreeing with चिट्ठी (chitthii), not the subject. 2) The thing written takes a direct object with no postposition (चिट्ठी लिखना (chitthii likhnaa)), while the recipient takes को (ko): उसे चिट्ठी लिखी (use chitthii likhii, 'wrote her a letter').
Sample Sentences:
वह हर दिन अपनी डायरी में लिखता है।
He writes in his diary every day.
(vah har din apnii daayrii men likhtaa hai।)
Listen: M85
मैंने कल उसे एक लंबी चिट्ठी लिखी।
I wrote him a long letter yesterday.
(mainne kal use ek lambii chitthii likhii।)
Listen: F85
बच्चे कमरे में बैठकर अपना होमवर्क लिख रहे हैं।
The children are writing their homework sitting in the room.
(bachche kamre men baithkar apnaa homvark likh rahe hain।)
Listen: M85
कृपया अपना नाम यहाँ लिखिए।
Please write your name here.
(kripyaa apnaa naam yahaan likhie।)
Listen: M85
अगर मुझे समय मिलता तो मैं एक किताब लिखता।
If I had time, I would write a book.
(agar mujhe samay miltaa to main ek kitaab likhtaa।)
Listen: M85
यह निबंध कल तक लिखा जाना चाहिए।
This essay should be written by tomorrow.
(yah nibandh kal tak likhaa jaanaa chaahie।)
Listen: F85
यह पत्र प्रधानाचार्य द्वारा लिखा गया था।
This letter was written by the principal.
(yah patr pradhaanaachaary dvaaraa likhaa gayaa thaa।)
Listen: M85
बचपन में हमें रोज़ लिखना-पढ़ना सिखाया जाता था।
In our childhood, we were taught reading and writing every day.
(bachpan men hamen roz likhnaa-padhnaa sikhaayaa jaataa thaa।)
Listen: F85
वह अगले साल तक अपनी थीसिस लिख चुकेगा।
He will have finished writing his thesis by next year.
(vah agle saal tak apnii thiisis likh chukegaa।)
Listen: M85
काश मैं इतनी अच्छी कविताएँ लिख पाता।
I wish I could write such good poems.
(kaash main itnii achchhii kavitaaen likh paataa।)
Listen: F85
शायद वह अपनी आत्मकथा लिखे।
Perhaps he will write his autobiography.
(shaayad vah apnii aatmakthaa likhe।)
Listen: M85
पहले वह सिर्फ हिंदी में लिखता था, अब अंग्रेज़ी में भी लिखता है।
Earlier he used to write only in Hindi, now he writes in English too.
(pahle vah sirph hindii men likhtaa thaa, ab angrezii men bhii likhtaa hai।)
Listen: F85
Sense
2
:
to be fated/destined (as if written by fate)
verb, intransitive Typically appears passively/impersonally with में (men) marking the fate-holder: उसकी क़िस्मत में लिखा था (uskii qismat men likhaa thaa, 'it was written in her fate').
Synonyms: होना (honaa, general 'to happen/be'), मुक़द्दर में होना (muqaddar men honaa, fate-specific phrase)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This sense taps into a very common cultural idea in Hindi-speaking India: that destiny is something pre-written by God or fate, as in भाग्य में लिखा है (bhaagy men likhaa hai, 'it is written in [one's] fate'). You will hear this in everyday consolation, like जो लिखा है वही होगा (jo likhaa hai vahii hogaa, 'whatever is written [in fate] will happen').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to use this sense actively with a doer, but native speakers almost always phrase it impersonally -- 'X is written in Y's fate' -- rather than 'someone wrote X for Y'. 2) The verb here is usually in perfective passive-like form (लिखा है (likhaa hai), लिखा था (likhaa thaa)) rather than conjugated for an explicit subject.
Sample Sentences:
जो किस्मत में लिखा है, वही होगा।
Whatever is written in fate will happen.
(jo kismat men likhaa hai, vahii hogaa।)
Listen: M85
शायद हमारा मिलना यूँ ही लिखा था।
Maybe our meeting was destined to happen just like this.
(shaayad hamaaraa milnaa yoon hii likhaa thaa।)
Listen: M85
भगवान ने जो भाग्य में लिख दिया है, उसे कोई नहीं बदल सकता।
No one can change what God has written in one's destiny.
(bhagvaan ne jo bhaagy men likh diyaa hai, use koii nahiin badal saktaa।)
Listen: F85
अगर मेरे भाग्य में यह लिखा होता, तो मैं ज़रूर सफल होता।
If this had been written in my fate, I would surely have succeeded.
(agar mere bhaagy men yah likhaa hotaa, to main zaroor saphal hotaa।)
Listen: M85
रो मत, जो लिखा है वही होगा।
Don't cry, whatever is destined will happen.
(ro mat, jo likhaa hai vahii hogaa।)
Listen: F85
उसकी किस्मत में शायद यही लिखा हो कि वह विदेश जाए।
Perhaps it is written in his fate that he will go abroad.
(uskii kismat men shaayad yahii likhaa ho ki vah videsh jaae।)
Listen: F85
कौन जानता है कि हमारे भाग्य में क्या लिखा है?
Who knows what is written in our destiny?
(kaun jaantaa hai ki hamaare bhaagy men kyaa likhaa hai?)
Listen: M85
दादी कहती थीं कि हर इंसान की किस्मत पहले से लिखी होती है।
Grandmother used to say that every person's fate is already written beforehand.
(daadii kahtii thiin ki har insaan kii kismat pahle se likhii hotii hai।)
Listen: M85
मान लो कि यह सब पहले से लिखा हो, फिर भी हमें कोशिश करनी चाहिए।
Suppose all this were already written, still we should try.
(maan lo ki yah sab pahle se likhaa ho, phir bhii hamen koshish karnii chaahie।)
Listen: M85
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
लिखना
(likhnaa)
infinitive oblique:
लिखने
(likhne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
लिखता
(likhtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
लिखते
(likhte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
लिखती
(likhtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
लिखतीं
(likhtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
लिख रहा
(likh rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
लिख रहे
(likh rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
लिख रही
(likh rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
लिख रहीं
(likh rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
लिखा
(likhaa)
perfective (pl.m):
लिखे
(likhe)
perfective (sg.f):
लिखी
(likhii)
perfective (pl.f):
लिखीं
(likhiin)
imperative (informal):
लिख
(likh)
imperative (neutral):
लिखो
(likho)
imperative (formal):
लिखिए
(likhie)
future (1sg.m):
लिखूँगा
(likhoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
लिखूँगी
(likhoongii)
future (1pl.m):
लिखेंगे
(likhenge)
future (1pl.f):
लिखेंगी
(likhengii)
future (2sg.m):
लिखेगा
(likhegaa)
future (2sg.f):
लिखेगी
(likhegii)
future (2pl.m):
लिखोगे
(likhoge)
future (2pl.f):
लिखोगी
(likhogii)
future (3sg.m):
लिखेगा
(likhegaa)
future (3sg.f):
लिखेगी
(likhegii)
future (3pl.m):
लिखेंगे
(likhenge)
future (3pl.f):
लिखेंगी
(likhengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
लिखूँ
(likhoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
लिखें
(likhen)
subjunctive (2sg):
लिखे
(likhe)
subjunctive (2pl):
लिखो
(likho)
subjunctive (3sg):
लिखे
(likhe)
subjunctive (3pl):
लिखें
(likhen)