Introduction to Nepali:
Nepal officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolitan city.
Nepali (नेपाली) is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.
It is the lingua-franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar (Burma). It is one of 23 official languages of India incorporated in 8th annex of the Indian Constitution. It has official language status in the formerly independent state of Sikkim and in West Bengal's Darjeeling district. Similarly, it is widely spoken in the state of Uttaranchal, as well as in the state of Assam.
Nepali is the easternmost of the Pahari languages, a group of related languages spoken across the lower elevations of the Himalaya range, from eastern Nepal through the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The influence of the Nepali language can also be seen in Bhutan and some parts of Burma. Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Tibeto-Burman languages, most notably Nepal Bhasa, and shows Tibeto-Burman influences.
Nepali is closely related to Hindi but is more conservative, borrowing fewer words from Persian and English and using more Sanskritic derivations. Today, Nepali is commonly written in the Devanagari script. There is some record of using Takri script in the history of Nepali, especially in western Nepal, Utarakhand, and Himanchal. Bhujimol is an older script native to Nepal. Nepali is mutually intelligible with Hindi and Urdu speakers.
Examples of phrases in Nepali include:
namaste. नमस्ते— all-purpose Hindu greeting, often translated as "I salute the god within you". Its literal Sanskrit meaning is "your homage" and in common usage simply means "hello" or "goodbye."
tapāī̃ko/timro nām ke ho? तपाईंको/तिम्रोनामकेहो? - What is your name?
mero nām Aalok ho. मेरोनामआलोकहो— My name is Aalok.
tapāī/timi lai kasto cha? तपाईंलाई/तिमीलाईकस्तोछ? — How are you?
The following are more commonly used:
ke cha? केछ? - What's up? (informal), sañcai hunuhuncha? सञ्चैहुनुहुन्छ? - Doing well? (formal)
khānā khāne ṭhāũ kahā̃ cha? खानाखानेठाउँकहाँछ? — Where is the place to eat?
kāṭhmāḍaũ jāne bāṭo dherai lāmo cha. काठ्माडौँजानेबाटोधेरैलामोछ— The road to Kathmandu is very long.
nepālmā baneko नेपालमाबनेको— Made in Nepal.
ma nepālī hũमनेपालीहूँ— I am Nepali.
pugyo पुग्यो— That is enough (mainly used while eating/amount of food/and various other amounts).
