प्रार्थना करना
prārthanā karnā/pɾɑːɾ.t̪ʰə.nɑː kəɾ.nɑː/
The Hindi verb for pray is प्रार्थना करना (prārthanā karnā), literally to do prayer. It means to talk to God or to make a request to God.
प्रार्थना करना is the general term for praying in Hindi and fits any faith or setting. The noun प्रार्थना alone means a prayer.
Meaning: to talk to God (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb is made of प्रार्थना (prārthanā), meaning prayer and करना (karnā), meaning to do.
Which one should you use?
Prārthanā karnā is a general term for prayer, whereas दुआ करना (duā karnā) is used specifically in Islamic contexts or for making a supplication.
How does it change in a sentence?
Only करना changes, प्रार्थना stays the same. In the first person singular present a man says प्रार्थना करता हूँ and a woman says प्रार्थना करती हूँ.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as prārthanā karnā, IPA /pɾɑːɾ.t̪ʰə.nɑː kəɾ.nɑː/. The th in prārthanā is a dental t with a puff of air, not the th of English think.
When do people say it?
People often fold their hands to pray, described in Hindi as Prarthana करने के लिए हाथ जोड़ना.
Did you know?
- While प्रार्थना करना (prārthanā karnā) is the standard term, people may use मनौती माँगना (manautī māṅgnā) when they pray for a specific wish in exchange for a promised offering.
- The verb करना (karnā) in this phrase descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷer-, making it a very distant relative of the English word 'create'.
- The word प्रार्थना (prārthanā) can also mean a formal request or petition to a person in authority, not just a conversation with a deity.
Examples in context
- पूजा में हम भगवान को प्रार्थना करते हैं।In pooja we pray to God.प्रार्थना करते हैं is the plural present form, we pray.
- मैं रोज़ भगवान से प्रार्थना करना चाहती हूँ।main roz bhagwan se prarthana karna chahti hoon.I want to pray to God every day.
- हमें सबके लिए प्रार्थना करना चाहिए।hamein sabke liye prarthana karna chahiye.We should pray for everyone.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their morning routine at home.
- अंजलि Anjaliअमित, क्या तुम सुबह प्रार्थना करना पसंद करते हो?Amit, kya tum subah prarthana karna pasand karte ho?Amit, do you like to pray in the morning?
- अमित Amitहाँ, अंजलि, मुझे इससे शांति मिलती है।Haan, Anjali, mujhe isse shanti milti hai.Yes, Anjali, it gives me peace.
- अंजलि Anjaliमैं भी हर रोज़ प्रार्थना करना चाहती हूँ।Main bhi har roz prarthana karna chahti hoon.I also want to pray every day.
- अमित Amitयह एक बहुत अच्छी आदत है।Yeh ek bahut acchi aadat hai.That is a very good habit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pray” translations and entries प्रार्थना करना, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries करना, प्रार्थना, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
