छापना (chhaapnaa)

verb A transitive verb meaning 'to print' or 'to stamp/imprint', used for printing text/images and for the physical act of stamping a mark.
Sense 1 : to print (books, newspapers, documents)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: मुद्रित करना (mudrit karnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Any Delhi newspaper-seller or press worker uses this word constantly -- अखबार छापना (akhbaar chhaapnaa, 'to print the newspaper') is the everyday phrase for the whole business of getting news out. Note the pair छापना (chhaapnaa) / छपना (chhapnaa): 'to print' vs 'to be printed', a classic transitive-intransitive pair like खोलना (kholnaa) / खुलना (khulnaa).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse छापना (chhaapnaa) with छपना (chhapnaa) -- the latter is the intransitive counterpart meaning 'to get printed/published', used when talking about a book or article being printed rather than someone printing it. 2) प्रकाशित करना (prakaashit karnaa) is often the better choice for 'to publish' a book or article as a whole editorial act, while छापना (chhaapnaa) is more about the physical/mechanical act of printing.
Sample Sentences:
यह अखबार हर सुबह पाँच बजे छपने के लिए छापा जाता है। This newspaper is printed every morning at five o'clock.
(yah akhbaar har subah paanch baje chhapne ke lie chhaapaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
प्रकाशक अगले महीने उसकी नई किताब छापेगा। The publisher will print his new book next month.
(prakaashak agle mahiine uskii naii kitaab chhaapegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अखबार छापना कोई आसान काम नहीं है, हर रात डेडलाइन का दबाव होता है। Printing the newspaper is no easy task -- there's deadline pressure every night.
(akhbaar chhaapnaa koii aasaan kaam nahiin hai, har raat dedlaain kaa dabaav hotaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
प्रेस वाले ने कल रात तीन हज़ार प्रतियाँ छापी थीं। The press worker had printed three thousand copies last night.
(pres vaale ne kal raat tiin hazaar pratiyaan chhaapii thiin।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कृपया इस रिपोर्ट को कल तक छाप दीजिए। Please have this report printed by tomorrow.
(kripyaa is riport ko kal tak chhaap diijie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर संपादक समय पर लेख भेजता, तो अखबार सुबह छप जाता। If the editor had sent the article on time, the newspaper would have been printed by morning.
(agar sampaadak samay par lekh bhejtaa, to akhbaar subah chhap jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Passive
मुमकिन है कि यह खबर कल के अखबार में छापी जाए। It's possible that this news will be printed in tomorrow's paper.
(mumkin hai ki yah khabar kal ke akhbaar men chhaapii jaae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Passive
यह छापेखाना हर रोज़ लाखों अखबार छापता है। This printing press prints millions of newspapers every day.
(yah chhaapekhaanaa har roz laakhon akhbaar chhaaptaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
संपादक चाहता है कि यह लेख पहले पन्ने पर छापा जाए। The editor wants this article to be printed on the front page.
(sampaadak chaahtaa hai ki yah lekh pahle panne par chhaapaa jaae।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
सरकार ने घोषणा-पत्र सरकारी प्रेस में छपवाया। The government had the manifesto printed at the government press.
(sarkaar ne ghoshnaa-patr sarkaarii pres men chhapvaayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बीसवीं सदी में स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन के दौरान कई गुप्त पत्रिकाएँ छापी जाती थीं। During the independence movement in the twentieth century, many secret journals used to be printed.
(biisviin sadii men svatantrtaa aandolan ke dauraan kaii gupt patrikaaen chhaapii jaatii thiin।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
Sense 2 : to stamp, imprint, mark (a design, pattern, or seal onto a surface)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: मुहर लगाना (muhar lagaanaa, used specifically for an official stamp/seal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Think of block-printing on fabric -- the bagru and sanganeri prints of Rajasthan are traditionally described with this verb: कपड़े पर छापना (kapde par chhaapnaa, 'to print/stamp [a design] onto cloth'). The same word covers a rubber stamp thumping onto a document, so an official's मुहर (muhar, 'seal') gets छापी (chhaapii) onto paperwork too.
Sample Sentences:
कारीगर कपड़े पर हाथ से बूटे छापता है। The craftsman stamps floral motifs onto the cloth by hand.
(kaariigar kapde par haath se boote chhaaptaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बाग्रू के कारीगरों ने इस साड़ी पर सुंदर डिज़ाइन छापे हैं। The artisans of Bagru have stamped beautiful designs onto this saree.
(baagroo ke kaariigron ne is saadii par sundar dizaain chhaape hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अफ़सर ने काग़ज़ों पर अपनी मुहर छाप दी। The officer stamped his seal onto the documents.
(afsar ne kaaghzon par apnii muhar chhaap dii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
इस मशीन से लकड़ी के ठप्पे कपड़े पर छापे जाते हैं। Wooden blocks are stamped onto the cloth using this machine.
(is mashiin se lakdii ke thappe kapde par chhaape jaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
वह अभी दुपट्टे पर नया पैटर्न छाप रही है। She is stamping a new pattern onto the scarf right now.
(vah abhii dupatte par nayaa paitarn chhaap rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इन काग़ज़ों पर अपनी मुहर छाप दो, फिर फ़ाइल आगे भेज देंगे। Stamp your seal on these papers, then we'll send the file forward.
(in kaaghzon par apnii muhar chhaap do, phir faail aage bhej denge।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
काश वे इस मशीन से कपड़े पर सीधे छाप पाते, तो इतना वक़्त न लगता। If only they could stamp directly onto the fabric with this machine, it wouldn't take so much time.
(kaash ve is mashiin se kapde par siidhe chhaap paate, to itnaa vaqt n lagtaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
पहले हाथ से बने ठप्पों से ही कपड़े पर बूटे छापे जाते थे। In earlier times, motifs used to be stamped onto cloth only with handmade blocks.
(pahle haath se bane thappon se hii kapde par boote chhaape jaate the।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
क्लर्क शायद इस रसीद पर मुहर छाप दे, फिर काम बन जाएगा। The clerk might stamp the seal on this receipt, and then the work will be done.
(klark shaayad is rasiid par muhar chhaap de, phir kaam ban jaaegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
सांगानेरी छपाई में कारीगर प्राकृतिक रंगों से कपड़े पर छापते हैं। In Sanganeri printing, the artisans stamp the cloth using natural dyes.
(saangaanerii chhapaaii men kaariigar praakritik rangon se kapde par chhaapte hain।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: छापना (chhaapnaa)
infinitive oblique: छापने (chhaapne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): छापता (chhaaptaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): छापते (chhaapte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): छापती (chhaaptii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): छापतीं (chhaaptiin)
continuous (sg.m): छाप रहा (chhaap rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): छाप रहे (chhaap rahe)
continuous (sg.f): छाप रही (chhaap rahii)
continuous (pl.f): छाप रहीं (chhaap rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): छापा (chhaapaa)
perfective (pl.m): छापे (chhaape)
perfective (sg.f): छापी (chhaapii)
perfective (pl.f): छापीं (chhaapiin)
imperative (informal): छाप (chhaap)
imperative (neutral): छापो (chhaapo)
imperative (formal): छापिए (chhaapie)
future (1sg.m): छापूँगा (chhaapoongaa)
future (1sg.f): छापूँगी (chhaapoongii)
future (1pl.m): छापेंगे (chhaapenge)
future (1pl.f): छापेंगी (chhaapengii)
future (2sg.m): छापेगा (chhaapegaa)
future (2sg.f): छापेगी (chhaapegii)
future (2pl.m): छापोगे (chhaapoge)
future (2pl.f): छापोगी (chhaapogii)
future (3sg.m): छापेगा (chhaapegaa)
future (3sg.f): छापेगी (chhaapegii)
future (3pl.m): छापेंगे (chhaapenge)
future (3pl.f): छापेंगी (chhaapengii)
subjunctive (1sg): छापूँ (chhaapoon)
subjunctive (1pl): छापें (chhaapen)
subjunctive (2sg): छापे (chhaape)
subjunctive (2pl): छापो (chhaapo)
subjunctive (3sg): छापे (chhaape)
subjunctive (3pl): छापें (chhaapen)