Lessons for English speakers
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.
13 core sections · ≈ 33 min + 3 optional lookups · ≈ 45 min with everything
The script
5 sections2
Your first reading job: one letter is a whole syllable
≈ 3 min
What you'll learn
- Every consonant already contains a vowel: क is not “k”, it is “ka”.
- To change it you hang a mark on the letter: काkā, किki, कोko.
- At the end of a word that built-in a usually goes quiet: घर is written gha-ra and said ghar.
- A hook under a letter, ्, cuts its vowel off entirely.
- Words hang from a line, so where the line breaks, the word ends.
The task before you see a full alphabet: stop reading a Nepali word letter by letter and read it syllable by syllable.
Twelve consonants, each with its built-in a
- कka — k as in skate, with no puff of airकोko“who”
- खkha — the same k with a puff of air after itरूखrūkh“tree”
- घgha — g with a puff of air after itबाघbāgh“tiger”
- टṭa — t with the tongue curled back to the roof of the mouthThe shape curls back on itself, which is exactly what the tongue does.बाटोbāṭo“road”
- दda — d with the tongue flat against the back of the top teethदिनdin“day”
- नna — n as in noनामnām“name”
- पpa — p with no puff of airपानीpānī“water”
- बba — b as in bedबनban“forest”
- मma — m as in meमुसाmusā“mouse”
- रra — r tapped once against the ridge behind the teethघरghar“house”
- सsa — s as in seeसानोsāno“small”
- हha — h as in hatहोho“is”
The vowel marks, and the same vowels standing alone
| Row | (no mark) a | ा ā | ि i | ी ī | ु u | ू ū | े e | ै ai | ो o | ौ au |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| क k | कka | काkā | किki | कीkī | कुku | कूkū | केke | कैkai | कोko | कौkau |
| on its own | अa | आā | इi | ईī | उu | ऊū | एe | ऐai | ओo | औau |
The first column carries no mark at all — that is the built-in a. र reshapes the two u marks: रूखrūkh“tree”. The bottom row is the vowel with no consonant to sit on.
When the built-in a goes quiet
घ + र
घरghar“house”
two syllables on the page, one in the mouth
सत्य
सत्यsatya“truth”
two consonants stuck together at the end keep it
छ
छcha“is, there is”
a whole word of one letter keeps it too
हुन्छ
हुन्छhuncha“it happens”
the hook empties न, and the pair protects the last a
गाउ
गाउँgāũ“village”
the moon-and-dot ँ sends the vowel through the nose, as the plain dot ं does; the guide writes a tilde
Say the syllables before you say the word
Name each syllable, then decide whether the last a survives. Then reveal.
- नाम
nā, then ma. Two syllables written.
Show answer +Hide answer −
नामnām“name” — one syllable said. - दिन
The hook on the left belongs to the letter on its right.
Show answer +Hide answer −
दिनdin“day”