रुकना ruknā: to stop oneself | Hindi Grammar

रुकना is the intransitive verb for stopping, pausing, remaining, or staying somewhere. The person, vehicle, process, rain, or machine that ceases motion is the subject. Transitive रोकना adds an external stopper and an object.

Stem and principal forms

The stem is रुक-.

Category	Forms
infinitive	रुकना
habitual	रुकता / रुकती / रुकते
progressive	रुक रहा / रुक रही / रुक रहे
perfective	रुका / रुकी / रुके / रुकीं
conjunctive	रुककर
simultaneous participle	रुकते हुए
prospective	रुकने वाला / रुकने वाली / रुकने वाले

यह ट्रेन हर छोटे स्टेशन पर नहीं रुकती।

yah ṭren har choṭe sṭeśan par nahīṃ ruktī.

This train does not stop at every small station.

बारिश अब धीरे-धीरे रुक रही है।

bāriś ab dhīre-dhīre ruk rahī hai.

The rain is gradually stopping now.

The progressive views deceleration or cessation in progress. For a stable stopped state, Hindi may use रुका हुआ है “is stopped/at a standstill.”

Place, duration, and reason complements

A stop point takes पर or another locative phrase: स्टेशन पर, मोड़ पर, होटल में, घर के पास. A duration can be unmarked: दो दिन रुकना. A cause takes के कारण/से, depending on meaning.

हम सफ़र के दौरान जयपुर में दो दिन रुके।

ham safar ke daurān jaypur meṃ do din ruke.

We stayed in Jaipur for two days during the journey.

टैक्सी मुख्य गेट के पास रुकी।

ṭaiksī mukhya geṭ ke pās rukī.

The taxi stopped near the main gate.

English “stay” overlaps with रहना, but रुकना often presents a bounded stop during a journey or a temporary stay. हम दिल्ली में रहते हैं means we live in Delhi; हम दिल्ली में दो दिन रुके means we stayed two days.

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Use रुकना for a bounded halt or temporary stay and रहना for residence or continued state. Duration and travel context often make the distinction clear.

Intransitive agreement

The stopping entity is an unmarked subject. Perfective रुकना takes no ने and agrees with that subject.

सभी बसें शहर की सीमा पर रुकीं।

sabhī baseṃ śahar kī sīmā par rukīṃ.

All the buses stopped at the city boundary.

बातचीत अचानक रुक गई।

bātcīt acānak ruk gaī.

The conversation suddenly stopped.

Feminine plural बसें selects रुकीं; feminine बातचीत selects रुक गई. Neither takes ने.

रुकना versus रोकना

बस रुकी says the bus stopped; चालक ने बस रोकी says the driver stopped it. English uses “stop” in both, but Hindi changes the stem and perfective alignment.

चालक ने बस रोकी, और यात्री पाँच मिनट वहीं रुके।

cālak ne bas rokī, aur yātrī pā̃c minaṭ vahīṃ ruke.

The driver stopped the bus, and the passengers stayed there for five minutes.

The first clause is transitive with ने and feminine object agreement. The second is intransitive with subject agreement. See रोकना “to stop something” for the causative frame.

Future and subjunctive

Person	Subjunctive	Future masculine	Future feminine
मैं	रुकूँ	रुकूँगा	रुकूँगी
तुम	रुको	रुकोगे	रुकोगी
यह / वह	रुके	रुकेगा	रुकेगी
हम / आप / ये / वे	रुकें	रुकेंगे	रुकेंगी

मैं आज रात अपनी बहन के घर रुकूँगी।

maĩ āj rāt apnī bahan ke ghar rukū̃gī.

I'll stay at my sister's house tonight. (female speaker)

बेहतर होगा कि आप बारिश रुकने तक यहीं रुकें।

behtar hogā ki āp bāriś rukne tak yahīṃ rukeṃ.

It would be better if you stayed here until the rain stops.

Imperatives and participles

The imperatives are intimate रुक, familiar रुको, and respectful रुकिए. Unlike many involuntary change verbs, रुकना has a highly natural imperative because a person can intentionally halt.

एक मिनट रुकिए, आपकी रसीद अभी तैयार नहीं हुई है।

ek minaṭ rukie, āpkī rasīd abhī taiyār nahīṃ huī hai.

Please wait a minute; your receipt is not ready yet.

Participles include रुककर, रुकते हुए, रुका हुआ, and रुकने वाला.

सड़क पर रुकी हुई गाड़ी रास्ता रोक रही थी।

saṛak par rukī huī gāṛī rāstā rok rahī thī.

The car stopped on the road was blocking the way.

The sentence deliberately contrasts intransitive result रुकी हुई with transitive ongoing रोक रही थी.

रुक जाना, रुक-रुककर, and causation

रुक जाना presents stopping as a completed endpoint, often sudden or total. रुक-रुककर means intermittently, with repeated pauses.

बिजली जाते ही मशीन पूरी तरह रुक गई।

bijlī jāte hī maśīn pūrī tarah ruk gaī.

As soon as the power went out, the machine stopped completely.

वह रुक-रुककर बोल रहा था, मानो शब्द ढूँढ़ रहा हो।

vah ruk-rukkar bol rahā thā, māno śabd ḍhū̃ṛh rahā ho.

He was speaking with pauses, as though searching for words.

The direct causative counterpart is रोकना; arranged stopping can use रुकवाना. There is no need to force a causative suffix onto the full infinitive रुकना.

An idiomatic extension साँस रुकना means one's breath stops, literally or from shock; वक़्त रुक गया poetically presents time as standing still (literary).

Common Mistakes

❌ मैंने स्टेशन पर रुका।

Incorrect — intransitive रुकना takes no perfective ने.

✅ मैं स्टेशन पर रुका।

maĩ sṭeśan par rukā.

I stopped at the station. (male speaker)

❌ चालक बस रुका।

Incorrect for the driver stopping the bus — use transitive रोकना.

✅ चालक ने बस रोकी।

cālak ne bas rokī.

The driver stopped the bus.

❌ लड़कियाँ होटल में रुके।

Incorrect — feminine plural लड़कियाँ requires रुकीं.

✅ लड़कियाँ होटल में रुकीं।

laṛkiyā̃ hoṭal meṃ rukīṃ.

The girls stayed at the hotel.

❌ आप यहाँ रुको।

Incorrect — respectful आप requires रुकिए, not familiar रुको.

✅ आप यहाँ रुकिए।

āp yahā̃ rukie.

Please stop here. (respectful)

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रुकना can mean both come to a stop and remain temporarily. The location and duration frame tells you whether English prefers “stop,” “wait,” or “stay.”

Key Takeaways

रुकना is an intransitive halt and temporary-stay verb. The stopping entity controls agreement and takes no perfective ने. Place and duration phrases distinguish stop, wait, and stay readings; रुक जाना sharpens the endpoint, while रोकना/रुकवाना add a direct or arranging causer.

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