vocabulary

A difficult thing in Nepali are the words which mean the same but have different meanings. Such synonyms are called पर्यायवाची शब्द in Nepali. Let’s look at some common synonyms in Nepali. अति (ati): too much Synonyms: धेरै (dherai), असाध्यै, (asadhyai), बढी (badhi) निकै (nikai), ज्यादै (jyadai) These have their own uses, which I’ll explain later. आमा (ama): mother Synonyms: जननी (janani), मुमा (muma), माता (mata) Janani is rare, while mata sounds ‘divine’. Muma is usually said by children.  आँखा (akha): … Read more

Nepali is full of loan words. Words such as ‘Radio’ are relatively new. Most words today are borrowed from Sanskrit. It is easy to guess a word’s meaning if it’s a loanword. But a note is that, English speakers might expect English words to sound, English. That’s not the case! You have say it with … Read more

Let’s learn more about money! 100 paisa makes 1 rupee. Rupee is the national currency of Nepal. Its value is around 1 USD= 85 Nepali Rupees.  1 Rupee १ रुपैयाँ (ek rupaiya) 10 Rupee १ ० रुपैयाँ (dash rupaiya) 100 Rupee १ ० ० रुपैयाँ (saya rupaiya) 1000 Rupee १ ० ० ० रुपैयाँ (hajaar … Read more

Are you feeling Angry? Happy? Sad? Let’s find out our emotions: Happiness/ Happy = खुसी (khusi) Sorrow/ Distress = दु:ख (dukha) Sadness=निराशा (nirasha) Anger= रिस (rish) To be Angry= रिसाउनु (risaunu) To Worry= चिन्ता गर्नु (chinta garnu) Worry= चिन्ता (chintaa) To feel pain= दुख्नु (dukhnu) Happy (More like Peace)= सुख(sukha) Jealousy= ईर्ष्या (ishrya) To be Shy= लजाउनु (lajaunu) To be dishonored= बेइज्जत हुनु  (beijjat hunu) Dishonor= बेइज्जत(beijjat)* Honor= इज्जत (ijjat) To be embarrassed= लाज लाग्नु (laaj lagnu) Embarrassment= लाज (laaj) To feel Lazy= अल्छी लाग्नु (alchi lagnu) Laziness= अल्छीपना (alchipana) … Read more

Air/ Wind हावा (hāwā) Animals जनावर (janāwar) Clouds बादल (bādal) Environment वातावरण (vātāwaraṇ) Fire आगो (āgo) Hills पहाड (pahāḍ) Land जमिन (jamin) Mountains हिमाल (himāl) Nature प्रकृति (prakṛti) Ocean महासागर (mahāsāgar) Plants बिरुवा (biruwā) Rain वर्षा (varṣā)* River खोला (kholā) Rock ढुङ्गा (ḍhuṃgā) Sand बालुवा (bāluwā) Sea समुद्र (samudra) Sky आकाश (ākāś) Soil माटो (māṭo) … Read more

What is the fun in learning a language when you don’t know any swear words? Come on, even kids say ‘Stupid!’. Now very offensive words are omitted (obviously) so the swear words below are the ones you can use to scold people, sometimes. Use with caution! Die = मोर्! (mor) Stupid = मुर्ख (murkha) Idiot … Read more

What are the days of the week called in Nepali? Day as in Wednesday is called वार (vār), which is phontically identical to बार (bār). We will also look at time divisions. The week starts on Sunday. Saturday is observed as a public holiday in Nepal. On Fridays, certain offices have shorter working hours, referred to as a ‘half-day’, while … Read more

Ever wondered what the moon or the Sun were ever called? Now, let’s go sky gazing!  Sun (casual) = घाम (gham)  Sun (more technical) = सुर्य (surya) Stars = तारा (taaraa) Moon = जून (juun) Moon (more respect) = चन्द्रमा (chandramaa) Sky = आकाश (aakaash) Space = अन्तरिक्ष (antariksh) World = विश्व (bishwa) Planet = ग्रह (graha) Mercury = बुध (budha) Venus = शुक्र (shukra) Earth = पृथ्वी (prithwi) Mars = मंगल (mangal) Jupiter = बृहस्पति (brihaspati)  Saturn = शनि … Read more

Across time you will encounter people who you will develop relations with, either as a best friend, friend, loved one or as an enemy. People relations are really simple in Nepali. Sathi is also more common than mitra. Also, Nepali lacks girlfriend/ boyfriend/ best friend so I have written the closest possible translation.: Relatives/ Kin … Read more

INTRODUCTION The Nepali family is a complicated family, and its tree is there to prove that. Families in Nepal tend to be extended, with the smallest of relationships cherished and remembered. The family tree can be roughly split into a paternal side and a maternal side, with each side having a slightly different term for each member. … Read more