ज़ख़म खाना (zakham khaanaa)
verb
A compound expression built from ज़ख़म (zakham, 'wound') and खाना (khaanaa, 'to eat'), meaning 'to suffer a wound/injury' -- both a literal physical sense and a common figurative one for emotional hurt.
Sense
1
:
to be wounded, injured (literal)
verb, transitive खाना (khaanaa) here works as a light verb meaning 'to receive/undergo,' with the subject as the one who receives the harm -- compare चोट खाना (chot khaanaa) and मार खाना (maar khaanaa) built on the same pattern.
Synonyms: ज़ख़मी होना (zakhmii honaa), घाव खाना (ghaav khaanaa, less common), चोट खाना (chot khaanaa)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Hindi uses the 'eating' pattern (खाना, khaanaa) for a whole family of things one passively receives or endures -- मार खाना (maar khaanaa, 'to get beaten'), डांट खाना (daant khaanaa, 'to get scolded'), धोखा खाना (dhokhaa khaanaa, 'to be deceived') -- so once a learner internalizes ज़ख़म खाना (zakham khaanaa), the whole pattern of 'खाना (khaanaa) = to be at the receiving end of something unpleasant' clicks into place.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try को-marking on the wound (ज़ख़म को खाना, zakham ko khaanaa) as if 'eating' the wound were a direct transitive action on an object of focus, but the phrase is used as a fixed idiom describing something happening *to* the subject, so the wound stays a plain object, not marked specially. 2) Don't confuse with ज़ख़म देना (zakham denaa, 'to inflict a wound'), which reverses the roles -- देना (denaa) is the giver's side, खाना (khaanaa) is the receiver's side.
Sample Sentences:
सिपाही लड़ाई में ज़ख़म खा गया।
The soldier suffered a wound in the battle.
(sipaahii ladaaii men zakham khaa gayaa।)
दंगे में कई लोग ज़ख़म खा गए।
Many people were wounded in the riot.
(dange men kaii log zakham khaa gae।)
अगर वह ढाल लेकर न लड़ता, तो और गहरा ज़ख़म खाता।
If he hadn't fought with a shield, he would have suffered a deeper wound.
(agar vah dhaal lekar n ladtaa, to aur gahraa zakham khaataa।)
जंगल में शिकार करते वक़्त शेर से ज़ख़म खाना कोई नई बात नहीं थी।
Suffering a wound from a lion while hunting in the jungle was nothing new.
(jangal men shikaar karte vaqt sher se zakham khaanaa koii naii baat nahiin thii।)
सैनिक बार-बार ज़ख़म खाता रहा, फिर भी पीछे नहीं हटा।
The soldier kept getting wounded again and again, yet he did not retreat.
(sainik baar-baar zakham khaataa rahaa, phir bhii piichhe nahiin hataa।)
डर है कि वह इस मुहिम में ज़ख़म खा जाएगा।
There is a fear that he will be wounded in this campaign.
(dar hai ki vah is muhim men zakham khaa jaaegaa।)
युद्ध में ज़ख़म खाकर भी वीर योद्धा मुस्कुराता रहा।
Even after suffering a wound in the war, the brave warrior kept smiling.
(yuddh men zakham khaakar bhii viir yoddhaa muskuraataa rahaa।)
संभलकर लड़ना, वरना बुरी तरह ज़ख़म खा जाओगे।
Fight carefully, or you'll end up badly wounded.
(sambhalkar ladnaa, varnaa burii tarah zakham khaa jaaoge।)
क्या तुमने कभी तलवार से ज़ख़म खाया है?
Have you ever suffered a wound from a sword?
(kyaa tumne kabhii talvaar se zakham khaayaa hai?)
यह ज़रूरी नहीं कि हर सैनिक युद्ध में ज़ख़म खाए।
It's not necessary that every soldier suffer a wound in war.
(yah zaroorii nahiin ki har sainik yuddh men zakham khaae।)
Sense
2
:
to be emotionally hurt, wounded (figurative)
verb, transitive Often appears with दिल पर (dil par, 'on the heart') or a source marked with से (se) to specify what caused the hurt, e.g. उसकी बात से (uskii baat se, 'from his/her words').
Synonyms: दिल पर चोट खाना (dil par chot khaanaa), आहत होना (aahat honaa, more formal), दुखी होना (dukhii honaa, broader meaning)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative sense leans into Hindi/Urdu poetic tradition, where the heart (दिल, dil) is imagined as a body that can be wounded just like flesh -- you'll meet this same imagery constantly in ghazals and film lyrics, where प्यार में ज़ख़म खाना (pyaar men zakham khaanaa, 'to be wounded in love') is a stock romantic image.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for hurt (hurt) as a literal translation and use घायल होना (ghaayal honaa), which sounds oddly clinical/physical for emotional pain -- ज़ख़म खाना (zakham khaanaa) is the natural figurative choice in everyday speech and writing about feelings.
Sample Sentences:
उसका दिल प्यार में एक बार फिर ज़ख़म खा गया।
Her heart was wounded once again in love.
(uskaa dil pyaar men ek baar phir zakham khaa gayaa।)
उसकी बेरुख़ी से मेरा दिल ज़ख़म खा गया।
My heart was wounded by his indifference.
(uskii berukhii se meraa dil zakham khaa gayaa।)
वो हर बार उसकी बातों से ज़ख़म खाती है, फिर भी माफ़ कर देती है।
She gets hurt by his words every single time, and yet she forgives him.
(vo har baar uskii baaton se zakham khaatii hai, phir bhii maaf kar detii hai।)
यार, दोस्तों की बेवफ़ाई से जो ज़ख़म खाया है, वो कभी नहीं भरेगा।
Man, the wound I took from friends' betrayal will never heal.
(yaar, doston kii bevfaaii se jo zakham khaayaa hai, vo kabhii nahiin bharegaa।)
मत जा उसके पास, फिर से ज़ख़म खाएगी तू।
Don't go near him, you'll get your heart hurt again.
(mat jaa uske paas, phir se zakham khaaegii too।)
अगर तुम उसे इतना चाहते नहीं, तो शायद ज़ख़म न खाते।
If you hadn't loved her so much, you probably wouldn't have been so hurt.
(agar tum use itnaa chaahte nahiin, to shaayad zakham n khaate।)
प्यार में ज़ख़म खाना कोई नई बात नहीं, हर दूसरे शायर ने यही लिखा है।
Being wounded in love is nothing new -- every other poet has written exactly this.
(pyaar men zakham khaanaa koii naii baat nahiin, har doosre shaayar ne yahii likhaa hai।)
इस दिल ने इतने ज़ख़म खाए हैं कि अब दर्द भी महसूस नहीं होता।
This heart has taken so many wounds that now it doesn't even feel the pain.
(is dil ne itne zakham khaae hain ki ab dard bhii mahsoos nahiin hotaa।)
कोई नहीं चाहता कि वह किसी के प्यार में ज़ख़म खाए।
No one wants to be wounded in someone's love.
(koii nahiin chaahtaa ki vah kisii ke pyaar men zakham khaae।)
उसकी हर चिट्ठी में यही शिकायत थी कि उसने बहुत ज़ख़म खाए हैं।
Every one of her letters carried the same complaint -- that she had suffered so many wounds.
(uskii har chitthii men yahii shikaayat thii ki usne bahut zakham khaae hain।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
ज़ख़म खाना
(zakham khaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
ज़ख़म खाने
(zakham khaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
ज़ख़म खाता
(zakham khaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
ज़ख़म खाते
(zakham khaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
ज़ख़म खाती
(zakham khaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
ज़ख़म खातीं
(zakham khaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
ज़ख़म खा रहा
(zakham khaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
ज़ख़म खा रहे
(zakham khaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
ज़ख़म खा रही
(zakham khaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
ज़ख़म खा रहीं
(zakham khaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
ज़ख़म खाया
(zakham khaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
ज़ख़म खाए
(zakham khaae)
perfective (sg.f):
ज़ख़म खाई
(zakham khaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
ज़ख़म खाईं
(zakham khaaiin)
imperative (informal):
ज़ख़म खा
(zakham khaa)
imperative (neutral):
ज़ख़म खाओ
(zakham khaao)
imperative (formal):
ज़ख़म खाइए
(zakham khaaie)
future (1sg.m):
ज़ख़म खाऊँगा
(zakham khaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
ज़ख़म खाऊँगी
(zakham khaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
ज़ख़म खाएँगे
(zakham khaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
ज़ख़म खाएँगी
(zakham khaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
ज़ख़म खाएगा
(zakham khaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
ज़ख़म खाएगी
(zakham khaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
ज़ख़म खाओगे
(zakham khaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
ज़ख़म खाओगी
(zakham khaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
ज़ख़म खाएगा
(zakham khaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
ज़ख़म खाएगी
(zakham khaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
ज़ख़म खाएँगे
(zakham khaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
ज़ख़म खाएँगी
(zakham khaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
ज़ख़म खाऊँ
(zakham khaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
ज़ख़म खाएँ
(zakham khaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
ज़ख़म खाए
(zakham khaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
ज़ख़म खाओ
(zakham khaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
ज़ख़म खाए
(zakham khaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
ज़ख़म खाएँ
(zakham khaaen)