Languages · Profile
लिम्बु
Limbu (Yakthung)
The language of the Yakthung people of the far east, carrier of the Mundhum, a body of sacred oral texts that is among the oldest living indigenous knowledge systems of the Himalaya.
350,436
mother tongue speakers in Nepal (2021 census)
1.20%
of Nepal's population
Tibeto-Burman (Kiranti)
language family
Sirijonga, Devanagari
script
In Nepal
Where it is spoken
Has its own script
Koshi Province, in Taplejung, Panchthar, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Ilam and Sankhuwasabha.
Koshi
Beyond Nepal
Who else speaks it
- India: Communities in Sikkim and Darjeeling
- Bhutan: Smaller communities
The Dehat
Our work in Limbu
Documentation of Mundhum oral tradition and Limbu culture.
Speak Limbu, or know someone who does? We want to hear your stories.
ContributeSources: National Population and Housing Census 2021, Nepal (mother tongue); Census of India 2011. Figures for small and endangered languages are estimates.