Nepali language

Nepali
Gorkhali, Khas-kurā
नेपाली/गोरखाली/खस कुरा
The word "Nepali" written in Devanagari
Native to	Nepal
Ethnicity	Khas people
Native speakers	20 million
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Northern Zone Eastern Pahari Nepali
Writing system	Devanagari Devanagari Braille Takri (historical)
Signed forms	Signed Nepali
Official status
Official language in	Nepal India (Sikkim, West Bengal)
Regulated by	Nepal Academy
Language codes
ISO 639-1	ne
ISO 639-2	nep
ISO 639-3	nep – inclusive code Individual codes: npi – Nepali dty – Doteli
Glottolog	nepa1254 nepa1252  duplicate code
Linguasphere	59-AAF-d
World map with significant Nepali language speakers Dark Blue: Main official language, Light blue: One of the official languages, Red: Places with significant population or greater than 20% but without official recognition.

The Nepali language is the official language of Nepal. Besides Nepal it is spoken in India, Bhutan and parts of Burma. In the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal also it is an official language. This language is also known as Gorkhali Language or Khaskura. It is believed to have originated from the ancient Sanskrit language from which it takes many words. It is written in Devanagari script which is similar to Hindi. It is spoken throughout Nepal and is the mother tongue of more than half of the population. It is also used by the Government of Nepal for all official purposes. In Nepal it is compulsory to study Nepali language as a subject until Grade 10 (High School).

Nepali is commonly classified within the Eastern Pahari group of the Northern zone of Indo-Aryan languages. Its origins trace back to the Sinja Valley in Karnali Province, which was the capital of the Khasa Kingdom during the 10th to 14th centuries. The language developed in close proximity to several Indo-Aryan languages, with significant influence from other Pahari languages. Originally, Nepali was spoken by the Khas people, an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent.

The earliest known inscription in the Nepali language is believed to be from Dullu in the Dailekh District, dating back to around the reign of King Bhupal Damupal in approximately 981 C.E. The formal institutionalisation of the Nepali language began during the rule of the Kingdom of Gorkha, which later became known as the Kingdom of Nepal, in the 16th century. Over the centuries, various dialects of Nepali emerged across different regions of present-day Nepal and Uttarakhand, influenced by languages such as Sanskrit, Maithili, Hindi, and Bengali, establishing Nepali as the lingua franca in these areas.

Nepali is a highly fusional language characterised by a relatively free word order, although the predominant structure follows a subject–object–verb (SOV) arrangement. The language features three major levels of honorifics: low, medium, and high. Low honorifics are used in contexts where no respect is warranted, medium honorifics indicate equal status or neutrality, and high honorifics are employed to convey respect.

Like other modern Indo-Aryan languages, Nepali grammar has undergone significant syncretism, resulting in the loss of much of the complex declensional system found in older languages. In the 19th century, Nepali literature flourished remarkably within a span of just one hundred years. Around 1830, several Nepali poets began exploring themes from the Sanskrit epics, such as the Rāmāyaṇa and the Bhagavata Purana. This literary movement culminated in Bhanubhakta Acharya's translation of the Ramayana into Nepali, which gained immense popularity due to its colloquial flavor, religious sincerity, and realistic natural descriptions.