खुलना khulnā: to open intransitive | Hindi Grammar

खुलना is the intransitive verb “open, become open, become accessible.” The door, shop, file, road, knot, or secret that changes state is the subject. No external opener is part of its core frame; when an actor deliberately opens something, Hindi uses transitive खोलना.

Stem and principal forms

The stem is खुल-.

Category	Forms
infinitive	खुलना
habitual	खुलता / खुलती / खुलते
progressive	खुल रहा / खुल रही / खुल रहे
perfective	खुला / खुली / खुले / खुलीं
conjunctive	खुलकर
simultaneous participle	खुलते हुए
prospective	खुलने वाला / खुलने वाली / खुलने वाले

संग्रहालय सुबह दस बजे खुलता है।

saṅgrahālay subah das baje khultā hai.

The museum opens at ten in the morning.

धीरे-धीरे बादल हट रहे हैं और आसमान खुल रहा है।

dhīre-dhīre bādal haṭ rahe haiṃ aur āsmān khul rahā hai.

The clouds are slowly clearing and the sky is opening up.

The habitual can state a schedule or regular tendency. The progressive views the change into openness as it unfolds.

Spontaneous event and result state

Perfective खुला can report that something opened; खुला है often describes its resulting open state. Progressive खुल रहा है instead presents the transition in progress.

हवा से पीछे वाली खिड़की खुली।

havā se pīche vālī khiṛkī khulī.

The rear window opened because of the wind.

मुख्य दरवाज़ा खुला है, आप अंदर आ सकते हैं।

mukhya darvāzā khulā hai, āp andar ā sakte haiṃ.

The main door is open; you may come in.

English “is opening” and “is open” differ only by aspect. Hindi makes the same distinction through खुल रहा है versus result-state खुला है.

💡

Use खुला है for an existing open state and खुल रहा है for a change under way. The participle खुला does not require a passive reading.

Intransitive agreement

The changing entity is an unmarked subject and controls agreement. Perfective खुलना takes no ने.

बारिश के बाद पहाड़ी रास्ते फिर खुले।

bāriś ke bād pahāṛī rāste phir khule.

The mountain roads reopened after the rain.

तेज़ झटके से कई बंद अलमारियाँ खुलीं।

tez jhaṭke se kaī band almāriyā̃ khulīṃ.

Several closed cupboards sprang open from the strong jolt.

Masculine plural रास्ते selects खुले; feminine plural अलमारियाँ selects खुलीं. Adding ने would incorrectly turn the undergoer into an ergative agent.

Future and subjunctive

Person	Subjunctive	Future masculine	Future feminine
मैं	खुलूँ	खुलूँगा	खुलूँगी
तुम	खुलो	खुलोगे	खुलोगी
यह / वह	खुले	खुलेगा	खुलेगी
हम / आप / ये / वे	खुलें	खुलेंगे	खुलेंगी

First- and second-person forms are most natural when a person metaphorically “opens up”; most physical subjects are third person.

नई शाखा अगले महीने खुलेगी।

naī śākhā agle mahīne khulegī.

The new branch will open next month.

हमें इंतज़ार करना होगा जब तक रास्ते न खुलें।

hameṃ intazār karnā hogā jab tak rāste na khuleṃ.

We will have to wait until the roads open.

Imperatives and participles

Direct commands such as खुलो are unusual for an inanimate door because the door is not a willing addressee. Hindi commands an actor with दरवाज़ा खोलो. Metaphorical खुलकर बोलो “speak openly” is natural and uses conjunctive/adverbial खुलकर, not a literal command for a door.

डरो मत; जो सोचते हो, खुलकर बोलो।

ḍaro mat; jo socte ho, khulkar bolo.

Don't be afraid; say openly what you think. (familiar)

Participial forms include खुला हुआ दरवाज़ा, खुलती हुई दुकान, खुलते हुए, and खुलकर. In many contexts plain खुला already expresses the result, while खुला हुआ makes the state more explicit.

खुल जाना and lexical extensions

खुल जाना emphasizes full or sometimes unexpected arrival at the open state. खुल stays bare and जाना carries agreement.

सही पासवर्ड डालते ही फ़ाइल खुल गई।

sahī pāsvarḍ ḍālte hī fāil khul gaī.

The file opened as soon as the correct password was entered.

Abstract subjects extend the same result: राज़ खुलना a secret comes out, गुत्थी खुलना a mystery is unraveled, नई संभावनाएँ खुलना new possibilities open up, किसी से खुलना open up to someone.

कुछ मुलाक़ातों के बाद वह अपने नए सहकर्मियों से खुलने लगी।

kuch mulāqātoṃ ke bād vah apne nae sahkarmiyoṃ se khulne lagī.

After a few meetings, she began to open up to her new colleagues.

Here the person to whom one opens up takes से. This is a lexical frame, not a physical-source use.

खोलना and खुलवाना

Transitive खोलना adds a direct opener; खुलवाना adds an arranger who gets another person to open something.

दरवाज़ा नहीं खुला, इसलिए हमने चौकीदार से खुलवाया।

darvāzā nahīṃ khulā, islie hamne caukīdār se khulvāyā.

The door did not open, so we had the guard open it.

The first clause is intransitive and has no ने. The second is a causative with arranger हमने and intermediary चौकीदार से. This family is treated systematically under intransitive–transitive–causative sets.

An idiom किसी की आँखें खुलना means realize the truth or become aware.

रिपोर्ट पढ़कर अधिकारियों की आँखें खुलीं।

riporṭ paṛhkar adhikāriyoṃ kī ā̃kheṃ khulīṃ.

Reading the report opened the officials' eyes.

Common Mistakes

❌ मैंने खिड़की खुली।

Incorrect for deliberate opening — intransitive खुलना cannot take a direct object.

✅ मैंने खिड़की खोली।

maĩne khiṛkī kholī.

I opened the window.

❌ दुकान ने नौ बजे खुली।

Incorrect — intransitive perfective खुलना takes no ने.

✅ दुकान नौ बजे खुली।

dukān nau baje khulī.

The shop opened at nine.

❌ दोनों खिड़कियाँ खुला।

Incorrect — feminine plural खिड़कियाँ requires खुलीं.

✅ दोनों खिड़कियाँ खुलीं।

donoṃ khiṛkiyā̃ khulīṃ.

Both windows opened.

❌ दरवाज़े को खुलो।

Incorrect — a command needs an actor and transitive खोलना.

✅ दरवाज़ा खोलो।

darvāzā kholo.

Open the door. (familiar)

💡

English lets “open” alternate without changing form. Hindi encodes the event structure in the stem: दरवाज़ा खुला versus मैंने दरवाज़ा खोला.

Key Takeaways

खुलना presents spontaneous opening, scheduled availability, or an open result state. The changing entity controls agreement, and perfectives take no ने. खुल जाना sharpens the endpoint, while खोलना and खुलवाना add a direct opener and an arranging causer respectively.

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