कहना means “say,” “tell,” or “call/name” in different frames. Its stem is कह-: the written ह remains throughout, while the inherent vowel deletes in forms such as कहता (kahtā). A quote or कि clause often leaves perfective कहा in default masculine singular, but an overt unmarked noun object can control agreement: उसने एक बात कही.
Principal parts and speech frames
| Category | Form | Illustration |
|---|---|---|
| stem | कह- | सच कह- |
| infinitive | कहना | मुझसे कुछ कहना |
| habitual | कहता / कहती / कहते | वह कहती है |
| perfective | कहा / कही / कहे / कहीं | उसने बात कही |
| conjunctive | कहकर | यह कहकर |
The addressee commonly appears with से or को, depending on construal and expression: उसने मुझसे कहा कि..., उसने मुझे कुछ नहीं कहा. Direct content can be a quotation; indirect content normally follows कि. English rigidly contrasts say something and tell someone, while Hindi organizes the frame with postpositions and complement type.
रीमा ने मुझसे कहा कि वह थोड़ी देर से आएगी।
rīmā ne mujhse kahā ki vah thoṛī der se āegī.
Reema told me that she would arrive a little late.
उसने धीरे से कहा, ‘मैं तैयार हूँ।’
usne dhīre se kahā, ‘maĩ taiyār hū̃.’
They said softly, ‘I'm ready.’
Habitual and progressive
| Subject | Habitual present | Progressive present |
|---|---|---|
| मैं, masculine | कहता हूँ | कह रहा हूँ |
| मैं, feminine | कहती हूँ | कह रही हूँ |
| वह, masculine | कहता है | कह रहा है |
| वह, feminine | कहती है | कह रही है |
| हम / आप / वे, masculine or mixed | कहते हैं | कह रहे हैं |
| हम / वे, all feminine | कहती हैं | कह रही हैं |
मैं यही कह रहा हूँ कि हमें पहले जाँच करनी चाहिए।
maĩ yahī kah rahā hū̃ ki hameṃ pahle jā̃c karnī cāhie.
What I'm saying is that we should check first. (male speaker)
In speech कहता is kahtā, not kahatā: standard schwa deletion compresses the stem before the participial suffix. The spelling does not change.
Perfective transitivity and agreement
कहना is transitive in its ordinary speech-content uses, so a canonical perfective marks the speaker with ने. A clausal or quoted complement does not provide ordinary noun agreement, giving default कहा. An unmarked noun content can control the verb.
नंदिनी ने बहुत समझदारी की बात कही।
nandinī ne bahut samajhdārī kī bāt kahī.
Nandini said something very sensible.
वक्ता ने अंत में कुछ ज़रूरी शब्द कहे।
vaktā ne ant meṃ kuch zarūrī śabd kahe.
The speaker said a few important words at the end.
मैंने उसे कुछ नहीं कहा।
maĩne use kuch nahīṃ kahā.
I didn't say anything to them.
In the last example, उसे is marked and indefinite कुछ does not trigger a visible non-default contrast. The form remains कहा.
Future, subjunctive, and imperative
| Person | Subjunctive | Future masculine | Future feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं | कहूँ | कहूँगा | कहूँगी |
| तुम | कहो | कहोगे | कहोगी |
| वह / यह | कहे | कहेगा | कहेगी |
| हम / आप / वे / ये | कहें | कहेंगे | कहेंगी |
अगर आप कहें, तो मैं कल फिर आऊँगा।
agar āp kaheṃ, to maĩ kal phir āū̃gā.
If you say so, I'll come again tomorrow. (male speaker)
मैं उससे साफ़-साफ़ कहूँगी कि यह ठीक नहीं है।
maĩ usse sāf-sāf kahū̃gī ki yah ṭhīk nahīṃ hai.
I'll tell them plainly that this isn't right. (female speaker)
Imperatives are intimate कह, familiar कहो, and respectful कहिए. बताइए is often more natural when asking someone to supply information rather than repeat words.
कहिए, मैं आपकी क्या मदद कर सकता हूँ?
kahie, maĩ āpkī kyā madad kar saktā hū̃?
Tell me, how can I help you? (respectful; male speaker)
Participles, causatives, and compounds
Common non-finite forms include कहता, कहा, कहते हुए, कहकर, oblique कहने, and कहने वाला.
The causative family is lexicalized. कहलाना commonly means “be called/known as,” while कहलवाना or कहवाना can mean “have something said,” depending on region and frame. Do not treat these as freely interchangeable with ordinary कहना.
इस मिठाई को राजस्थान में घेवर कहा जाता है।
is miṭhāī ko rājasthān meṃ ghevar kahā jātā hai.
This sweet is called ghevar in Rajasthan.
उसने सहायक से कहलवाया कि बैठक रद्द हो गई है।
usne sahāyak se kahlavāyā ki baiṭhak radd ho gaī hai.
They had the assistant say that the meeting had been canceled.
Compound कह देना packages an utterance as made decisively or fully, sometimes with interpersonal bluntness; कह जाना can present words left behind or uttered in passing. These are lexical-discourse choices, not mandatory forms.
An idiomatic extension is कहने को, meaning “nominally / as far as saying goes”: कहने को वह प्रभारी है “Nominally, he is in charge.”
See the focused कहना versus बोलना guide for the speech-content versus speaking-activity contrast.
Common Mistakes
❌ उसने मैं कहा कि रास्ता बंद है।
Incorrect — a pronoun addressee cannot remain in the direct form here; use मुझसे.
✅ उसने मुझसे कहा कि रास्ता बंद है।
usne mujhse kahā ki rāstā band hai.
They told me that the road was closed.
❌ रीना ने एक बात कहा।
Incorrect — unmarked feminine बात controls कही.
✅ रीना ने एक बात कही।
rīnā ne ek bāt kahī.
Reena said one thing.
❌ मैं उसे कल कहेगा।
Incorrect — first-person future requires कहूँगा/कहूँगी.
✅ मैं उसे कल कहूँगा।
maĩ use kal kahū̃gā.
I'll tell them tomorrow. (male speaker)
❌ आप सच कहो।
Incorrect in a respectful direct command — आप requires the polite imperative.
✅ आप सच कहिए।
āp sac kahie.
Please tell the truth. (respectful)
Key Takeaways
कहना keeps stem कह-, with pronounced forms such as kahtā, kahā, kahe. It takes direct quotations, कि clauses, and noun content, and perfective agreement depends on which complement is available. Learn addressee marking with each frame, distinguish कहना from informational बताना and activity-oriented बोलना, and treat its causatives and vector compounds as lexicalized constructions.
Now practice Hindi
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Hindi →Related Topics
- कहना versus बोलनाB1 — Choose कहना for an utterance's content or addressee and बोलना for the activity, manner, language, or turn of speaking.
- Reported speech without backshiftC1 — Report Hindi statements faithfully without importing English automatic tense backshift, while adjusting viewpoint and deixis when meaning requires it.
- Sequence of TAM in कि clausesC1 — Choose tense, aspect, and mood inside Hindi कि clauses from their own time relations rather than by automatic backshift.
- Transitive perfective with नेA2 — Mark the actor with ने in canonical transitive perfectives and choose verb agreement from the eligible object rather than the semantic doer.
- बताना batānā: to tell and explainB1 — Reference बताना with recipient-को and noun, clause, and question-word content frames, plus agreement, compounds, and causation.
- Control with चाहना सकना and कहनाB2 — Track the understood subject of Hindi non-finite complements with चाहना, सकना, and कहना, and know when a finite कि clause is required.