Nepali
नेपाली
Nepal's word for Mount Everest is "Sagarmatha" — meaning "Goddess of the Sky". Nepal is home to 8 of the world's 10 highest mountains!
Lin says:
Namaste! I'm Lin! Nepal is the home of the world's highest mountain — Everest — and Nepali is the language of the Himalayas! Nepal is a tiny nation between India and China but has an extraordinary culture, with ancient temples, festivals like Dashain and Tihar, and the brave Gurkha soldiers known worldwide. Ek dum ramro! (Awesome!)
Quick Facts
Speakers
~17 million
Language Family
Indo-European
Writing
Devanagari script
Home of
Mount Everest (Sagarmatha)
Discover Nepali
Nepal's word for Mount Everest is "Sagarmatha" — meaning "Goddess of the Sky". Nepal is home to 8 of the world's 10 highest mountains!
Writing System
Devanagari script
Native Speakers
~17 million
Did You Know?
Nepal is home to eight of the world's ten highest mountains — including Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, and Annapurna.
Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal — making Nepal one of the most spiritually significant countries in the world for both Hinduism and Buddhism.
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa — who summited Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953 — was a native Nepali speaker from the Sherpa community.
What Makes Nepali Special?
Language of Everest
Nepali is the language of the people who live in the shadow of Everest. The Nepali name for Everest is "Sagarmatha" — meaning "Goddess of the Sky".
Gurkha Soldiers
The Gurkha soldiers of Nepal are famous worldwide for their bravery — serving in the British and Indian armies for over 200 years. "Gurkha" comes from the Nepali word for their home region.
Festival Land
Nepal has more public holidays than almost any other country — Dashain (harvest festival), Tihar (festival of lights), and Holi are all celebrated with incredible colour and joy.
Keep Exploring the World!
Languages are windows into the world's cultures. Discover more languages and the countries where they are spoken.