Useful Nepali Words and Phrases for Travellers in Nepal

Looking for the most useful Nepali words and phrases?

I have been visiting and periodically living in Nepal since 2015 and I can say that people speak pretty good English in Nepal in big cities and towns. I have been learning Nepali, but it is very rare that I have to use it.

It is the most useful to have some knowledge of Nepali words if you are going to a remote village in Nepal where tourists usually don’t go. In remote areas of Nepal, people have no or very limited English, thus, knowing some Nepali is helpful.

Nevertheless, even if people can speak English, it always goes a long way to be able to speak a few words in Nepali. Nepali people are always very happy to meet a foreigner who can speak Nepali – even if it’s just a few words.

Here are the most important Nepali words to know while travelling in Nepal!

Basic Nepali Words and Phrases for Travellers

13 Important Nepali Words for Conversation

Here are the 13 most useful Nepali words and phrases to know while travelling in Nepal. If you don’t have time to read the rest of the post, just remember the ones right here.

Here are the 13 most useful Nepali words you don’t want to forget:

Nepali Words to Address People

When addressing people, you can address them as “brother” or “sister” in Nepali:

You will find that in Nepal everyone is called brother or sister and if it’s your first time in Nepal, it might be confusing in the beginning.

If you want to find out if someone is referring to their actual brother or sister, you will have to ask if they are brothers/sisters through same mother-same father. Most of the time, they will tell you, no, just “friend-brother” or “cousin-brother”.

Most of the time, people also use ‘dai’/’bhai’ and ‘didi’/’bahini’ to address staff at restaurants or shops.

Basic Nepali Words at the Restaurant

Why is it good to know some Nepali words when dining at the restaurant?

To be honest, in big cities and touristy areas all the restaurant staff can speak good English, so you will not have to worry about speaking Nepali.

Only if you are in a more remote area or small town/village, where you may find staff who have limited English.

The most useful word to know when dining is ‘ali ali’, which means ‘little bit’. The most popular Nepali dish, dal bhat, works in a way that if you order it, you get free refills of each item. If staff comes to refill your side dishes and you only want a little bit, you can say ‘ali ali’.

Basic Nepali Words for Shopping

Why is it good to know some Nepali words for shopping?

If you go shopping at a market, you will see that the prices are not fixed. Basically, if you are in Nepal for a short time and not sure what the actual prices are, you might end up paying slightly more for the items.

Unfortunately, it has been like this for a long time and the only way you may be able to negotiate the price is if you can speak some Nepali.

On the other hand, many times people are honest and do not try to rip you off, so you somehow have to balance and understand what the actual price is. Sometimes, there is a shortage of tomatoes or sugar and then the prices inflate no matter what.

Also, if you buy fruits and vegetables that are imported from abroad, those are also more expensive. The cheapest fruits and vegetables are always the ones that are in season in Nepal at the time.

Basic Nepali Words for Directions

Nepali Question Words

Why is it good to know some Nepali question words?

Knowing the Nepali question words is useful as even if you are unable to form a proper sentence or have a wide Nepali vocabulary, the question words themselves can help out a lot.

Even if it feels like it is not proper to say the question word without the full sentence, just go for it. It can be helpful and it is more than what the average tourist can speak.

Basic Nepali Phrases for Trekking

Why is it good to know some Nepali words for trekking?

If you are trekking in the popular trekking routes such as Everest or Annapurna Region, you will easily get by speaking English. People speak good English in areas that are often frequented by tourists.

In addition, if you trek with a Nepali guide, your guide will be able to translate if needed.

However, if you go trekking solo or in less commercialized trekking areas, you might find 1-2 teahouses where people do not speak English.

I found that in every teahouse there is always at least one person who can speak English, but just in case, it is good to have some phrases ready.

Basic Nepali Words for Jungle Safaris

The jungle safari guides in Nepal have very good English but if you want to be like a pro, here are the Nepali words for the 3 most important animals you will want to spot in Nepal:

Nepali Numbers 0-10

Why is it good to know the Nepali numbers?

While if you are on a short trip to Nepal, it may not be too crucial to learn the Nepali numbers. I found, for me, learning the numbers in Nepali and the way it’s written was important when taking the taxis.

Most of the taxis have their number plates written in Nepali. If you use taxi apps in Nepal, it is good to memorise the numbers in Nepali so you can recognise the taxi’s car plate.

English to Nepali Translation Apps

You can also use some translation apps if you are looking for specific words.

Google Translate App:

• Get Google Translate on Google Play
• Get Google Translate on the Apple Store

FAQs: Useful Nepali Words and Phrases

How to say Hello in Nepali?

You can say Hello in Nepali in 2 ways:

• Formal/Respectful: Namaskar
• Friendly/Informal: Namaste

Usually, you’d use Namaskar to show respect when addressing people that are older than you, people you are not familiar with, or bosses, teachers, and official workers.

‘Namaste’ is the most widely used greeting and as a foreigner in Nepal, you are not expected to know about using ‘Namaskar’ in formal settings. Most often people just use Namaste.

So if you want to remember one greeting, just use ‘Namaste’.

How to say How are you in Nepali?

There are different ways to say ‘How are you‘ in Nepali:

• Formal/Respectful way: Tapaaiilaaii kasto chha?
• Friendly/Informal way: Timilaaii kasto chha?
• Super friendly: Ke cha? (it is more like ‘What’s up’ in Nepali)

How to say I love you in Nepali?

I love you in Nepali is: ‘Ma timilaaii maayaa garchhu’.

What is ‘mitho cha’ in Nepali?

‘Mitho cha’ means it is ‘tasty’/’delicious’ (food).

If you are invited for a Nepali lunch or dinner, and you want to thank your host for cooking delicious food, you can use ‘mitho cha’.

In full you could say, ‘Thank you, it is delicious’ = ‘Dhanyabaad, mitho cha’.

What is ‘chito’ in Nepali?

‘Chito’ means ‘hurry’ or ‘fast’.

For example, when the bus is about to leave and you are not yet on the bus, they will tell you to ‘chito chito’ to get on the bus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people in Nepal speak pretty good English in big cities and towns. So well, that if you only visit the touristy areas in Nepal, you will easily get by speaking English.

The most useful to have some knowledge of Nepali words is if you are going to a remote place in Nepal where tourists usually don’t go. In remote areas of Nepal, people have no or very limited English, thus, knowing some Nepali is helpful.

Nevertheless, even if people can speak English, it always goes a long way to be able to speak a few words in Nepali. Nepali people are always very happy to meet a foreigner who can speak Nepali – even if it’s just a few words.