Locale Ne 001

Reference data for the Nepali locale — endonym नेपाली, written in the Devanagari script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: ne-001
• ISO 639-1: ne
• ISO 639-3: nep
• Script: Deva (Devanagari)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 19,000,000
• L2 (additional): 14,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 33,000,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Nepali. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Ne Np (Nepali (Nepal))

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).

• one — n = 1 (e.g. 1)
• other — everything else (e.g. 0, 2~16, 100, 1000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Nepali (नेपाली) is the official language of Nepal, written in Devanagari. It is subject-object-verb with postpositions, and has an elaborate honorific system. See Locale Ne Np.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Reorder English sentences; do not translate word for word.
• Do not translate from Hindi. Nepali shares script and some words, but its grammar, verbs, and vocabulary differ.
• Accept established English loans in Devanagari (फाइल, पासवर्ड, एप) when readers use them; use Nepali terms from the Nepal Academy's glossaries when established.

Grammar that trips translators.

• Verbs agree with the subject in person, number, and honorific level. Nepali has no grammatical gender on nouns, but there are gendered verb forms in some second- and third-person positions.
• Postpositions follow nouns: लाई, मा, बाट, को/का/की.
• The ergative marker "ले" marks the agent in the past tense.

Register.

• Nepali has several levels of "you": तँ (very informal or rude), तिमी (informal), तपाईं (polite), and हजुर (very respectful). UI and public text use "तपाईं" with matching verb endings ("गर्नुहोस्"). Do not mix levels.

Orthography and typography.

• Follow the Nepal Academy's standard spelling (Nepali Brihat Shabdakosh).
• Punctuation: the danda (।) ends sentences. Digits: Devanagari (०-९) are common in Nepal; Arabic digits are used in UI. Currency: Nepalese rupee (रू). Check CLDR ne for number grouping.
• Dates: the Bikram Sambat calendar (2083 for 2026) is the official calendar of Nepal; show Gregorian alongside when needed.

Common pitfalls

• Using Hindi grammar or the Hindi verb forms.
• Mixing तिमी and तपाईं.
• Showing only Gregorian dates on official forms.
• Transliterating English terms where a Nepali term exists.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Microsoft Localization Style Guides for Indian languages (https://learn.microsoft.com/globalization/reference/microsoft-style-guides)
• Nepal Academy (नेपाल प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठान), Nepali Brihat Shabdakosh