Nepali words and phrases for travellers
Twenty words will change how you are treated in Nepal. Namaste, dhanyabaad, kati ho, dai, didi, thik chha, pugyo, mitho chha, bistarai. This guide gives the phrases that actually get used day to day, with rough pronunciation and the Devanagari, plus the ones that will make people laugh with delight.
Nepalis in tourist areas mostly speak workable English, so you can travel Nepal without a word of Nepali. But the return on twenty words is disproportionate: the temperature of every interaction changes, prices sometimes improve, and people visibly enjoy it.
Nepali is written in Devanagari and is the mother tongue of a plurality of Nepalis, with the 2021 census recording well over a hundred mother tongues across the country. It is grammatically similar to Hindi in places but is a separate language — saying so matters to people.
The essential twenty
If you learn nothing else, learn these. Rough pronunciation is given for English speakers; stress is generally light and even in Nepali.
- नमस्ते — Namaste (na-mas-TAY) — hello, goodbye, and often thank you. Palms together.
- नमस्कार — Namaskar — the more formal version, for elders and formal settings.
- धन्यवाद — Dhanyabaad (dhan-ya-BAAD) — thank you. Used less often than in English; namaste covers a lot.
- हुन्छ — Hunchha (HOON-cha) — okay / yes / that works. Extremely useful.
- छैन — Chhaina (CHAI-na) — there isn't / no / not available.
- ठीक छ — Thik chha (TEEK cha) — it's fine / alright.
- कति हो? — Kati ho? (KA-ti ho) — how much is it?
- महँगो भयो — Mahango bhayo (ma-HAN-go bha-yo) — that's expensive. The polite opening of a negotiation.
- पुग्यो — Pugyo (POOG-yo) — enough. Essential when being fed.
- मीठो छ — Mitho chha (MEE-to cha) — it's delicious. Say this and watch the room change.
- बिस्तारै — Bistarai (bis-ta-RAI) — slowly. Useful to drivers and to guides.
- कहाँ छ...? — Kahan chha…? (ka-HAAN cha) — where is…?
- पानी — Paani — water. खाना — Khana — food. चिया — Chiya — tea.
- बाटो — Baato — road, way, trail.
- माफ गर्नुहोस् — Maaf garnuhos (MAAF gar-nu-hos) — sorry / excuse me.
- फेरि भेटौँला — Pheri bhetaunla (PHE-ri bhe-TOWN-la) — see you again. A warm goodbye.
- दाइ / दिदी — Dai / Didi — older brother / older sister, used for almost anyone slightly older.
- भाइ / बहिनी — Bhai / Bahini — younger brother / younger sister.
- सन्चै हुनुहुन्छ? — Sanchai hunuhunchha? — are you well? A proper greeting.
- जाम — Jam — traffic jam. You will need it.
The two that do the most work
Dai and didi. Nepali addresses people by relative age rather than by name or title, so a slightly older man is dai and a slightly older woman is didi — the shopkeeper, the waiter, the taxi driver, the lodge owner.
Using them instead of 'excuse me' or a raised hand is the single most effective courtesy available to a visitor. It signals that you understand how people relate to each other here, and it is immediately warmer than any English equivalent.
The full set is covered in its own guide, including when to use hajur, ji and the respectful verb forms.
Numbers and money
Worth learning to at least ten, because prices are often said rather than written.
- एक ek (1), दुई dui (2), तीन tin (3), चार char (4), पाँच panch (5).
- छ chha (6), सात saat (7), आठ aath (8), नौ nau (9), दश das (10).
- सय say (100), हजार hajaar (1,000).
- लाख lakh (100,000) and करोड crore (10,000,000) — South Asian units used constantly in Nepal for property, budgets and salaries. A crore is a hundred lakh.
- रुपैयाँ rupaiyan — rupee. Prices are commonly said as 'panch say' (500) rather than 'five hundred rupees'.
Pronunciation notes that matter
Nepali distinguishes sounds that English does not, and two of them change meanings.
- Aspirated versus unaspirated consonants: the difference between k and kh, t and th, p and ph, is a puff of air. 'Thik' has the puff; 'tik' does not. Nepalis will understand you regardless, but this is why romanised spellings vary so much.
- Retroflex versus dental t and d: the tongue touches the roof of the mouth versus the teeth. English t sits between the two, so you will sound slightly foreign whatever you do. Nobody minds.
- There is no fixed romanisation standard, so you will see chha / chha / cha, dhanyabaad / dhanyabad, chiya / chia. All are fine.
- Nepali has no definite or indefinite article — no 'the' or 'a' — which is why Nepali speakers' English sometimes drops them. It is a language feature, not a mistake.
Phrases that make people laugh with delight
Slightly beyond survival level, and worth the effort for the reaction alone.
- 'Dal bhat power, chowbis ghanta' — dal bhat power, 24 hours. A trekking-trail joke that every guide in Nepal knows.
- 'Malai Nepali ali ali aunchha' — I speak a little Nepali. Deploy early; it buys enormous goodwill.
- 'Ekdam mitho chha' — it's extremely delicious.
- 'Hajur?' — a polite 'pardon?' or 'yes?'. Also a respectful 'you'.
- 'Ke garne?' (के गर्ने?) — 'what to do?'. This is arguably the national phrase: a shrug at things beyond anyone's control — the bus, the weather, the government. Using it correctly marks you as someone who has understood something about Nepal.
- 'Subha Dashain' / 'Subha Tihar' — happy Dashain / Tihar, in season.
Language beyond Nepali
Nepali is the official language and the lingua franca, but it is not everyone's first language. The 2021 census records over a hundred mother tongues.
In the Kathmandu valley you will hear Nepal Bhasa (Newari); in the terai, Maithili, Bhojpuri and Awadhi; in the hills, Tamang, Gurung, Magar, Rai and Limbu languages; in the high Himalaya, Sherpa and other Tibetic languages. Several are constitutionally recognised for official use at provincial level.
Practically, Nepali works everywhere. But knowing that the person you are speaking to may be using their second language too changes how you listen — and asking someone what their mother tongue is is a genuinely interesting conversation, not an awkward one.
Key takeaways
- ✓Twenty words materially change how you are treated — namaste, dhanyabaad, kati ho, thik chha, pugyo, mitho chha.
- ✓Dai and didi, used for anyone slightly older, are the single highest-value courtesy for a visitor.
- ✓Learn numbers to ten plus lakh and crore — prices are usually spoken, not written.
- ✓There is no standard romanisation of Nepali, so spellings vary; nobody will misunderstand you.
- ✓Nepali is a separate language from Hindi, and over a hundred mother tongues are spoken across Nepal.
Nepali Words for Travellers — FAQ
What does namaste mean in Nepali?+
It is a greeting used for hello, goodbye and often thank you, said with palms together at chest height. Namaskar is the more formal version used for elders and in formal settings. It is by far the most useful single word for a visitor to Nepal.
Is Nepali the same as Hindi?+
No. Nepali is a separate language, written in Devanagari like Hindi and sharing Indo-Aryan roots and some vocabulary, but with different grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. Nepalis mind the assumption, and it is worth avoiding.
How do you say thank you in Nepali?+
Dhanyabaad (धन्यवाद). It is used less frequently than 'thank you' in English — a namaste with a smile covers many situations where an English speaker would thank someone, and over-thanking for small services can feel oddly formal.
What does 'ke garne' mean?+
'What to do?' — a resigned shrug at things beyond anyone's control, from a cancelled bus to the weather to politics. It is arguably Nepal's national phrase, and using it correctly marks you as someone who has understood something about how the country copes.
How many languages are spoken in Nepal?+
The 2021 census records well over a hundred mother tongues, including Nepal Bhasa in the Kathmandu valley, Maithili and Bhojpuri in the terai, Tamang, Gurung, Magar, Rai and Limbu in the hills, and Sherpa and other Tibetic languages in the high Himalaya. Nepali is the official lingua franca.
Every guide in this series
Related guides
Sources & data note
Romanised spellings of Nepali have no single official standard, so the transliterations here are the forms most commonly written by Nepali speakers online, with Devanagari alongside where it helps. Pronunciation notes are approximations for English speakers rather than phonetic transcription. Folk material such as gau khane katha exists in many regional variants with more than one accepted answer; the versions given are widely-circulated ones transcribed by us, not sourced from a single authoritative collection. Guides are written from primary sources — Nepali government departments, operators, park authorities and standards bodies — and each guide lists the sources used for its own facts. Rules, fees and prices in Nepal change; treat figures as current at the review date shown on each guide and verify anything money- or visa-critical with the issuing authority before you rely on it.
- Language Commission of Nepal — official languages and mother tonguesLanguage Commission, Nepal ↗
- National Population and Housing Census 2021 — religion, language and caste/ethnicityNational Statistics Office, Nepal ↗
- Languages of NepalEthnologue ↗
- Nepal Tourism Board — official site (destinations and traveller information)Nepal Tourism Board ↗