The language you dream in is not a dialect. It is your inheritance.
Nepal is one of the most linguistically extraordinary countries on earth. The 2021 census recorded 124 mother tongues, from Nepali, spoken by nearly half the population, to Kusunda, a language isolate with no known relatives.
Our editorial policy is simple: the story belongs in the language in which it happened.
Nepal's languages, one by one.
Where each language is spoken, how many people speak it, and where it lives beyond Nepal's borders. Speaker figures are mother tongue counts from Nepal's 2021 census.
Nepali
13,084,457speakers in Nepal44.86% of NepalGandaki, Karnali, SudurpashchimRead profile →मैथिलीMaithili
3,222,389speakers in Nepal11.05% of NepalMadhesh, KoshiRead profile →भोजपुरीBhojpuri
1,820,795speakers in Nepal6.24% of NepalMadhesh, LumbiniRead profile →थारुTharu
1,714,091speakers in Nepal5.88% of NepalSudurpashchim, Lumbini, BagmatiRead profile →तामाङTamang
1,423,075speakers in Nepal4.88% of NepalBagmati, KoshiRead profile →बज्जिकाBajjika
1,133,764speakers in Nepal3.89% of NepalMadhesh, KoshiRead profile →अवधीAwadhi
864,276speakers in Nepal2.96% of NepalLumbiniRead profile →नेपाल भाषाNepal Bhasa (Newar)
863,380speakers in Nepal2.96% of NepalBagmati, Gandaki, LumbiniRead profile →मगरMagar
810,315speakers in Nepal2.78% of NepalLumbini, Gandaki, KarnaliRead profile →डोटेलीDoteli
494,864speakers in Nepal1.70% of NepalSudurpashchimRead profile →उर्दूUrdu
413,785speakers in Nepal1.42% of NepalMadhesh, LumbiniRead profile →लिम्बुLimbu (Yakthung)
350,436speakers in Nepal1.20% of NepalKoshiRead profile →गुरुङGurung (Tamu)
328,074speakers in Nepal1.12% of NepalGandakiRead profile →मगहीMagahi
230,117speakers in Nepal0.79% of NepalMadhesh, KoshiRead profile →राजवंशीRajbanshi
130,163speakers in Nepal0.45% of NepalKoshiRead profile →राईRai (Kiranti languages)
144,512speakers in Nepal0.50% of NepalKoshiRead profile →शेर्पाSherpa
117,896speakers in Nepal0.40% of NepalKoshi, BagmatiRead profile →Languages we cannot afford to lose.
Kusunda
23speakers in NepalLumbini, Gandaki, KarnaliRead profile →EndangeredदुराDura
1,991speakers in Nepal0.01% of NepalGandakiRead profile →EndangeredसेकेSeke
Under 1,000speakers in NepalGandakiRead profile →EndangeredराउटेRaute (Khamchi)
A few hundredspeakers in NepalKarnali, SudurpashchimRead profile →Maithili: the language of Mithila
Nepal's second most spoken language and one of India's 22 scheduled languages, with a literary tradition reaching back to the fourteenth century. The poet Vidyapati wrote in Maithili, and his songs are still sung at festivals on both sides of the border.
Maithili is the language of Mithila painting, a rich festival culture and a distinctive musical heritage. The Dehat will publish in Maithili and build the most comprehensive archive of Maithili cultural life in Nepal.
Bhojpuri: a special focus
One of the great languages of the Himalayan-Gangetic world, spoken across Madhesh and the Terai and by tens of millions in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with folk music known around the globe and literature stretching back centuries.
Yet in Nepal it is underrepresented in media and slowly retreating. We will build a dedicated Bhojpuri editorial desk, an oral history project, a music archive and a literary platform.
Bhojpuri is not a language on the margins. It has simply been told, for too long, to speak more quietly.
Nine editorial languages.
With a commitment to expand as resources allow.
- Nepali: the primary language of the newsroom
- Maithili: a dedicated editorial desk for Madhesh and the Bihar-Nepal corridor
- Bhojpuri: a dedicated programme for Lumbini, Madhesh and the UP-Bihar-Nepal belt
- Awadhi, Tharu, Tamang and Nepal Bhasa: in partnership with community institutions
- Hindi: a bridge to Indian audiences and the diaspora
- English: international journalism, research and university partnerships
Recording what exists before it is lost.
Kusunda
The last known language isolate of South Asia. Urgent recording with the last speakers.
Dura
Once spoken in Lamjung and Tanahu. Critically endangered. A collaborative documentation project.
Raute
Spoken by the last nomadic community in Nepal. Oral tradition and vocabulary documentation.
Seke
Spoken in Upper Mustang, with a very small community of speakers and at acute risk.
Byangsi, Chaudangsi, Ropakali
Small Tibeto-Burman languages of the far-west Himalayan belt.
Ghale, Baram, Raji, Bankariya
Hill and Terai languages with small speaker communities and rich oral traditions.