शिकायत करना

Using शिकायत करना is like building a LEGO set. You need the right connectors. The most important connector is the postposition की. If you want to complain *about* something, you say [Thing] की शिकायत करना. For example, खाने की शिकायत करना means to complain about the food. If you are complaining *to* someone, you use से. So, मैनेजर से शिकायत करना means to complain to the manager. It’s a very flexible phrase. You can use it in the past tense as शिकायत की or in the future as शिकायत करूँगा. Just remember that शिकायत is feminine. This means if you use a possessive word like 'my', it becomes मेरी शिकायत. Don't let the grammar scare you; it's much friendlier than a real customer service representative.

Imagine you are at a fancy cafe in South Delhi. Your avocado toast arrives, but it’s just a sad piece of burnt bread. You turn to your friend and say, मुझे इस नाश्ते की शिकायत करनी है. Your friend might reply, छोड़ो यार, इतनी छोटी बात की क्या शिकायत करना?. Or think about social media. You might see a tweet saying, आज फिर से इंटरनेट नहीं चल रहा, कहाँ शिकायत करें?. In an office setting, a colleague might warn you, बॉस तुम्हारी शिकायत कर रहे थे. It appears everywhere from WhatsApp groups to formal emails. It is the bread and butter of daily human frustration. Even a child tells their mother, मम्मी, भाई की शिकायत करनी है!. It really is the universal language of being slightly (or very) annoyed.

Use this phrase whenever there is a gap between what you wanted and what you got. It is perfect for professional settings when a service fails. Did your Uber driver take a three-mile detour? Use it. Is your neighbor playing loud music at 2 AM? Use it. It’s also great for personal relationships when you feel slighted. If your partner forgot your anniversary, you definitely have a शिकायत. It’s neutral enough for a police station but common enough for a dinner table. It’s your Swiss Army knife for expressing dissatisfaction. If you’re feeling bold, you can even use it in a job interview to talk about how you handle 'customer complaints'. It shows you understand the process of resolving issues.

Don't use शिकायत करना if you are just 'venting' or 'crying' about your life in a general way. For that, we use रोना-धोना or दुखड़ा रोना. शिकायत करना implies there is a specific target or a specific problem that could potentially be fixed. Also, don't use it if you are 'backbiting' or gossiping behind someone's back just to be mean. That is बुराई करना. If you complain to the teacher about a classmate, that’s शिकायत. If you just tell a friend that the classmate's shoes are ugly, that’s बुराई. Using the wrong one might make you sound like a whistleblower when you’re actually just a gossip. Use it when you want a resolution, not just to be a hater.

The biggest trap is forgetting the की. Many learners try to translate directly from English and say उसको शिकायत करना. This sounds like you are 'doing a complaint to him' in a way that doesn't quite click. It should be उसकी शिकायत करना (complaining *about* him). Another classic mistake is treated शिकायत as a masculine noun. People often say मेरा शिकायत instead of मेरी शिकायत. It’s a small slip, but it’s like wearing one blue sock and one red sock. People will notice. ✗ मैंने खाने को शिकायत की → ✓ मैंने खाने की शिकायत की. ✗ वह मेरा शिकायत करेगा → ✓ वह मेरी शिकायत करेगा. Also, avoid using कहना (to say) instead of करना. You don't 'say' a complaint in Hindi; you 'do' it.

If you want to sound more poetic or emotional, you can use गिला करना. This is common in Bollywood songs and Urdu-heavy conversations. It’s more of a 'romantic' or 'sentimental' complaint. For very formal or legal situations, you might hear परिवाद करना. But honestly, unless you are in a courtroom, stay away from that one. Another close relative is ऐतराज करना, which means 'to object'. Use ऐतराज when you disagree with a decision. If you are just whining about your luck, use कुढ़ना. But for 99% of your daily needs, शिकायत करना is the king of the mountain. It’s the reliable, hardworking verb that never lets you down (even if the people you’re complaining about do).

Sometimes you'll hear the noun शिकायतकर्ता, which means 'the complainant' or 'the person complaining'. This is very formal, like something you’d see on a government form. Then there is the adjective शिकायती, as in शिकायती लहजा (a complaining tone). We all know someone who has a 'shikayati' voice on Monday mornings. You might also see शिकायत पेटी, which is a 'complaint box'. In the digital age, people talk about ऑनलाइन शिकायत (online complaint). You can also add intensifiers like कड़ी शिकायत करना (to make a strong complaint). It’s like adding extra chili to your curry—it definitely gets more attention from the authorities.

Is it rude to use this? Not at all! It depends on your tone. If you say it politely, it’s just feedback. Can I use it for small things? Yes, like the weather or a slow elevator. Is it different from 'protesting'? Yes, protesting is विरोध करना, which is more political. शिकायत करना is more about personal or consumer dissatisfaction. What if I want to say 'stop complaining'? You would say शिकायत करना बंद करो. It’s a very useful phrase for parents and grumpy roommates alike. Remember, everyone complains, but doing it in Hindi makes you sound much more sophisticated while you're at it.