अAmarnepalNepal Data
Guides

Nepali language & terms

The Nepali words visitors keep hearing and searching: dai, didi, jutho, tika, khana khanu bhayo, gau khane katha and more.

10 guides in this topic.

Beginner6 min read

"Khana Khanu Bhayo?": Nepali Greetings That Confuse Foreigners

'Have you eaten?' is a Nepali greeting, not an invitation. So is 'where are you going?'. This guide explains the everyday Nepali phrases tha…

Read guide →
Beginner8 min read

Common Nepali Slang and Mild Profanity, Explained Respectfully

You'll hear words on buses, in bazaars and among friends that no phrasebook teaches you. This guide explains the common ones by category and…

Read guide →
Beginner7 min read

Dai, Didi, Bhai, Bahini: How Nepalis Address Each Other

Nepalis address almost everyone: shopkeepers, waiters, strangers, with kinship terms based on relative age rather than names. Dai is an olde…

Read guide →
Beginner7 min read

Gau Khane Katha: Nepali Riddles With Answers (and What They Mean)

Gau khane katha (गाउँ खाने कथा) are Nepal's traditional riddles, literally 'village-eating stories', told to children, at gatherings and on …

Read guide →
Beginner8 min read

Maya, Jaan, Saathi: Nepali Terms of Endearment and Nicknames

Nepalis have a separate vocabulary for closeness, apart from the dai/didi kinship terms used with strangers: maya, jaan, saathi and a handfu…

Read guide →
Beginner8 min read

Nenglish: Common Nepali-English Hybrid Phrases Explained

Nenglish is the code-switched Nepali-English that Kathmandu's younger, urban speakers use every day: 'tension nalinu', 'set vayo', 'time pas…

Read guide →
Beginner8 min read

Nepali Business Email Phrases: Greetings, Closings and Etiquette

Nepali business correspondence, whether written in Nepali or in the formal Nepali-inflected English common in offices here, follows its own …

Read guide →
Beginner8 min read

Nepali Devanagari Numerals and the Lakh/Crore System Explained

Nepali numbers use their own Devanagari digits, ० to ९, and group large figures differently from the West: lakh (100,000) and crore (10,000,…

Read guide →
Beginner9 min read

Nepali Words for Travellers: The Phrases That Actually Get Used

Twenty words will change how you are treated in Nepal. Namaste, dhanyabaad, kati ho, dai, didi, thik chha, pugyo, mitho chha, bistarai. This…

Read guide →
Beginner8 min read

Tapai, Timi, Ta: Nepal's Three Levels of 'You'

Nepali has three separate words for 'you', tapai, timi and ta, and picking the wrong one is not a small grammar slip, it changes how respect…

Read guide →

Other guide topics

SIM, mobile & internetTrekking & mountainsEmergencies & survivalNepali culture & customsFood & drinkPlaces & things to doSEO basicsAEO & GEOTechnical SEOContent & keywordsDigital literacyOnline safety & scamsAI & technologyMoney & financial literacyGovernment services onlineWork, careers & freelancingStudy & exam skillsHealth & wellbeingEveryday how-toStarting a business

Sources & data note

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.