Hindi · Everyday Verbs

"to go" in Hindi: जाना

जानाjaana

Say it: JAA-naaverb/dʒɑːnɑː/

जाना (jaana) means to go. A man says main jaata hoon; a woman says main jaati hoon. Polite aap form is jaaiye. Chalo means let's go and is perfect with friends.

Leaving a cafe

मुझे अब घर जाना है।

mujhe ab ghar jaana hai.

I have to go home now.
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How to pronounce जाना

Say it

JAA-naa

/dʒɑːnɑː/

Jaana is JAA-naa with two long a's. The j is soft, like the j in jam without a hard English edge. Keep both syllables even.

"to go" in Hindi: quick reference

HindiEnglish
जानाjaanato go

The infinitive and dictionary form.

चलोchalolet's go

Friendly call to move together.

जाइएjaaiyeplease go

Polite imperative with aap.

जा रहा हूँjaa raha hoonI am going

Progressive; a woman says jaa rahi hoon.

How to use जाना in real life

  1. 1Leaving a cafe

    मुझे अब घर जाना है।

    mujhe ab ghar jaana hai.

    I have to go home now.

    Mujhe…jaana hai means I need to go.

  2. 2Giving directions

    सीधे जाइए, फिर दाएँ मुड़िए।

    seedhe jaaiye, phir daayen mudiye.

    Go straight, then turn right.

    Jaaiye keeps directions polite.

  3. 3With friends

    चलो, हमें बाज़ार जाना है!

    chalo, hamen bazaar jaana hai!

    Come on, we have to go to the market!

    Chalo invites; jaana names the going.

Mistakes English speakers make with जाना

Incorrect: मैं जाना है।

Correct: मुझे जाना है। / मैं जाता हूँ।

Need-to-go uses mujhe…jaana hai. Habitual main takes hoon, not hai.

Incorrect: अजनबी से आप जाना—जाओ कहना।

Correct: आपको जाना हो तो जाइए कहिए।

Jaao is for tum. With aap use jaaiye.

Good to know

Hosts walk guests to the door, so leaving can include a few more jaana lines and goodbyes. On trains, ticket checkers and crowds make clear jaana plans useful: platform numbers and times.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Deciding how to leave a museum

  1. ChatPal

    अब कहाँ जाना है?

    ab kahaan jaana hai?

    Where do we have to go now?

  2. You

    मुझे मेट्रो स्टेशन जाना है।

    mujhe metro station jaana hai.

    I have to go to the metro station.

  3. ChatPal

    चलो, मैं भी उसी तरफ़ जा रहा हूँ।

    chalo, main bhi usi taraf jaa raha hoon.

    Come, I'm going the same way too.

  4. You

    अच्छा, तो साथ चलते हैं, जल्दी जाना है।

    achha, to saath chalte hain, jaldi jaana hai.

    Okay, then let's go together; we need to go quickly.

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"to go" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to go" in Hindi

How does jaana change for gender?

Present habitual: jaata (man) and jaati (woman). Progressive: jaa raha / jaa rahi.

What is the polite command?

Jaaiye with aap. With friends, jaao or chalo.

How do I say I have to go?

Say mujhe jaana hai.

Is chalo the same as jaana?

Chalo invites movement together. Jaana is the general verb to go.

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