Learn to read Nepali
A short, active path into reading Nepali: learn how a Devanagari letter carries its own vowel, decode ten real words before the full alphabet, follow the verb to the end of the sentence, and read a small story before opening your first book.
A new reading: try it before revealing help
- The pronunciation and the English begin hidden. Aim for the scene, not a perfect translation.
- The bird is named राजुrāju“Raju” — Nepali has no capital letters, so nothing on the line marks a name.
- Bird and tiger are both male, so every past verb takes the plain -यो ending or its negative -एन.
- The last line is the moral, and it does not announce itself as one.
Every word here is a word you have met, apart from the bird’s name. Two past verbs appear in the negative, and both put their न inside the ending.
Raju and the big tree
Read each line aloud, say what you think happened, then reveal.
- उहिले उहिले एउटा बनमा एउटा ठूलो रूख थियो। त्यो रूखमा एउटा सानो चरा थियो।
The opening formula, then the past is-word twice.
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uhile uhile euṭā banmā euṭā ṭhūlo rūkh thiyo. tyo rūkhmā euṭā sāno carā thiyo — “Long, long ago there was a big tree in a forest. In that tree there was a small bird.” - चराको नाम राजु थियो। एक दिन एउटा ठूलो बाघ त्यहाँ आयो।
The owning tag on the first noun, and then the action starts.
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carāko nām rāju thiyo. ek din euṭā ṭhūlo bāgh tyahā̃ āyo — “The bird’s name was Raju. One day a big tiger came there.” - बाघले राजुलाई देख्यो। “यो बन मेरो हो,” भनेर उसले भन्यो।
Two tags, then a closed quotation.
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bāghle rājulāī dekhyo. “yo ban mero ho,” bhanera usle bhanyo — “The tiger saw Raju. ‘This forest is mine,’ he said.” - “यो रूख तिम्रो होइन।” राजु दुखी भयो। अनि ऊ अर्को सानो रूखमा गयो।
Two past verbs, both with the plain ending.
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“yo rūkh timro hoina.” rāju dukhī bhayo. ani ū arko sāno rūkhmā gayo — “‘This tree is not yours.’ Raju became sad. And then he went to another small tree.” - त्यो रात धेरै ठूलो हावा आयो। ठूलो रूख ढल्यो। तर सानो रूख ढलेन।
The last verb is the same as the one before it, made negative.
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tyo rāt dherai ṭhūlo hāvā āyo. ṭhūlo rūkh ḍhalyo. tara sāno rūkh ḍhalena — “That night a very big wind came. The big tree fell over. But the small tree did not fall over.” - बाघको घर थिएन। “सानो घर पनि राम्रो घर हो,” भनेर राजुले भन्यो।
The second sentence is the moral, and it does not say so.
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bāghko ghar thiena. “sāno ghar pani rāmro ghar ho,” bhanera rājule bhanyo — “The tiger had no house. ‘A small house is also a good house,’ said Raju.”