धोना dhonā: to wash | Hindi Grammar

धोना is the transitive verb “wash, rinse.” It normally takes the thing cleaned as a direct object: clothes, dishes, food, a vehicle, or a body part. Hindi body-care expressions often use an ordinary possessive rather than an English reflexive pronoun: अपने हाथ धोना “wash one's hands.”

Stem and principal forms

The stem is धो-. Vowel-final forms show patterns such as perfective धोया, first-person subjunctive धोऊँ, and respectful imperative धोइए.

Category	Forms
infinitive	धोना
habitual	धोता / धोती / धोते
progressive	धो रहा / धो रही / धो रहे
perfective	धोया / धोई / धोए / धोईं
conjunctive	धोकर
simultaneous participle	धोते हुए
prospective	धोने वाला / धोने वाली / धोने वाले

हम सब्ज़ियाँ पकाने से पहले अच्छी तरह धोते हैं।

ham sabziyā̃ pakāne se pahle acchī tarah dhote haiṃ.

We wash vegetables thoroughly before cooking them.

वह बालकनी में कपड़े धो रही है।

vah bālkanī meṃ kapṛe dho rahī hai.

She is washing clothes on the balcony.

Nonperfective agreement follows the washer. Instrument or cleansing substance can take से: साबुन से धोना, ठंडे पानी से धोना.

Body-part patterns

Hindi usually treats the body part as the direct object and uses अपना when coreference matters: अपने हाथ धोना, अपना मुँह धोना, अपने बाल धोना. There is no need for a separate object meaning “myself.”

खाना बनाने से पहले अपने हाथ धो लीजिए।

khānā banāne se pahle apne hāth dho lījie.

Please wash your hands before cooking.

नींद भगाने के लिए उसने ठंडे पानी से मुँह धोया।

nīnd bhagāne ke lie usne ṭhaṇḍe pānī se mũh dhoyā.

He washed his face with cold water to shake off sleep.

The possessor may be omitted when obvious. हाथ धोए? can mean “Did you wash your hands?” in context. The broader reflexive choice is covered under अपना.

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English says “wash yourself” in some contexts; Hindi normally names the body part or uses intransitive नहाना for bathing. Do not make a person the direct object of धोना unless someone else is washing them or the context specifically supports it.

Perfective transitivity and agreement

धोना is transitive. A perfective washer takes ने. An unmarked washed item controls agreement: मुँह धोया, कमीज़ धोई, कपड़े धोए, चादरें धोईं. A को-marked specific item blocks agreement and gives default धोया.

रवि ने मेहमानों के सारे गिलास धोए।

ravi ne mehmānoṃ ke sāre gilās dhoe.

Ravi washed all the guests' glasses.

मीना ने सफ़ेद चादरें अलग धोईं।

mīnā ne safed cādareṃ alag dhoīṃ.

Meena washed the white sheets separately.

The vowel sequence in धोए is romanized dhoe, not with an inserted y in the standard written form.

Future and subjunctive

Person	Subjunctive	Future masculine	Future feminine
मैं	धोऊँ	धोऊँगा	धोऊँगी
तुम	धोओ	धोओगे	धोओगी
यह / वह	धोए	धोएगा	धोएगी
हम / आप / ये / वे	धोएँ	धोएँगे	धोएँगी

आज मैं गाड़ी धोऊँगा और अंदर भी साफ़ करूँगा।

āj maĩ gāṛī dhoū̃gā aur andar bhī sāf karū̃gā.

Today I'll wash the car and clean the inside too. (male speaker)

ज़रूरी है कि आप फल खाने से पहले धोएँ।

zarūrī hai ki āp phal khāne se pahle dhoẽ.

It is important that you wash the fruit before eating it.

Imperatives and participles

The imperatives are intimate धो, familiar धोओ, and respectful धोइए. Participles include धोकर, धोते हुए, धोया हुआ, and धोने वाला.

यह कपड़ा अलग से धोइए; इसका रंग छूटता है।

yah kapṛā alag se dhoie; iskā raṅg chūṭtā hai.

Please wash this garment separately; its color runs.

धोए हुए बर्तन ऊपर वाली अलमारी में रखिए।

dhoe hue bartan ūpar vālī almārī meṃ rakhie.

Please put the washed dishes in the upper cupboard.

धो लेना, धो डालना, धुलना, and धुलवाना

धो लेना presents washing as completed for the actor's own readiness or convenience. धो डालना can add thorough, forceful completion. Intransitive धुलना means become washed or be washable; धुलवाना means have something washed.

बारिश आने से पहले मैंने सारे कपड़े धो लिए।

bāriś āne se pahle maĩne sāre kapṛe dho lie.

I washed all the clothes before the rain came.

हमने भारी परदे दुकान से धुलवाए।

hamne bhārī parde dukān se dhulvāe.

We had the heavy curtains washed by a shop.

The second clause has arranger हमने, service provider दुकान से, and masculine plural परदे controlling धुलवाए.

Idiomatic किसी चीज़ से हाथ धो बैठना means lose something, often through one's own mistake (informal).

लापरवाही से वह अच्छे मौके से हाथ धो बैठा।

lāparvāhī se vah acche mauke se hāth dho baiṭhā.

Through carelessness, he lost a good opportunity. (informal)

Here अच्छे मौके से names what was lost; हाथ धो बैठना remains the idiomatic predicate rather than taking मौका as the thing literally washed.

Common Mistakes

❌ मैंने अपने हाथ धोया।

Incorrect — masculine plural हाथ requires धोए.

✅ मैंने अपने हाथ धोए।

maĩne apne hāth dhoe.

I washed my hands.

❌ रीना ने दो चादरें धोया।

Incorrect — unmarked feminine plural चादरें requires धोईं.

✅ रीना ने दो चादरें धोईं।

rīnā ne do cādareṃ dhoīṃ.

Reena washed two sheets.

❌ बच्चा अपने आपको धो रहा है।

Unnatural for ordinary bathing — use नहाना or name the body part.

✅ बच्चा नहा रहा है।

baccā nahā rahā hai.

The child is bathing.

❌ आप हाथ धोओ।

Incorrect — respectful आप requires धोइए, not familiar धोओ.

✅ आप हाथ धोइए।

āp hāth dhoie.

Please wash your hands. (respectful)

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धोना stays transitive even in body care: the body part is its object. नहाना is the intransitive whole-body activity and therefore behaves differently in the perfective.

Key Takeaways

धोना is a transitive washing verb with regular ने and object agreement in the perfective. Body-part expressions use ordinary objects and often reflexive अपना, not a translated “self.” धो लेना completes the task, धुलना presents becoming washed, and धुलवाना adds an arranger.

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