Nepal is a country with many languages. The main one is Nepali, used in schools and government. Besides that, over 124 languages are spoken!
Languages of Nepal
According to the National Census 2078, people are speaking 124 languages in Nepal. Similarly, a total of 142 castes live in Nepal. Nepalese believe in 10 religions. Like that are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Kirat, Sikhism, and other religions.
The people of Nepal speak 124 languages as their mother tongue. Among them, 111 languages continue the 2068 census, while 13 have been added as new mother tongues. Following are the 13 new mother tongues in addition to the 2078 census:
- Bhote
- Lowa
- Chum/ Nubri
- Waragungwa
- Nar - Fu
- Rana Tharu
- Karma Rong
- Mugali
- Tichhurong
- Sadri
- Donee
- Munda
- Kewarat
According to the Constitution of Nepal, every Nepali speaker's original language is the mother tongue of Nepal. Therefore, all the languages spoken by all Nepalese are the original language of Nepal. Every community, caste has its own mother tongue. Therefore, Nepal is a multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural nation.
Language Spoken in Nepal
Nepali is the mother tongue spoken by the majority of people in Nepal. Nepali language is spoken by 44.86 percent of the total population. Similarly, the Maithili language is the most widely spoken language after Nepali. 11.05% of the total population uses the Maithili language as their mother tongue.
Bhojpuri is the third most spoken language in Nepal. 6.24% of the total population speak Bhojpuri as their mother tongue. Similarly, the fourth and fifth most spoken languages are Tharu with 5.88% and Tamang with 4.88% respectively.
Among the languages spoken by a small population in Nepal, Kusunda comes first. Only 23 people of the total population use the Kusunda language as their mother tongue. Similarly, among languages spoken by less population, Bankariya (86 people), Sam Bhasha (106 people), Hariyanvi (114 people) and Sadhani (122 people) are in second, third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
Mother languages spoken by more than one lakh Population in Nepal
According to the 2068 census, a total of 19 languages were spoken by more than one lakh people in Nepal. Later, according to the 2078 census, the number of languages spoken by more than one lakh population has reached 21. Below is the list of those 21 mother tongues, population and percentage.
| Language | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Nepali | 13084457 | 44.86 % |
| Maithali | 3222389 | 11.05 % |
| Bhojpuri | 1820795 | 6.24% |
| Tharu | 1714091 | 5.88% |
| Tamang | 1423075 | 4.88% |
| Bajjika | 1133764 | 3.89% |
| Awadhi | 864276 | 2.96 % |
| Nepal Bhasa (Newari) | 863380 | 2.96 % |
| Magar Dhut | 810315 | 2.78 % |
| Doteli | 494864 | 1.70 % |
| Urdu | 413785 | 1.42% |
| Yakthung/ Limbu | 350436 | 1.20% |
| Gurung | 328074 | 1.12 % |
| Magahi | 230117 | 0.79% |
| Baitadeli | 152666 | 0.52 % |
| Rai | 144512 | 0.50 % |
| Achhami | 141444 | 0.48% |
| Bantawa | 138003 | 0.47% |
| Rajbanshi | 130163 | 0.45 % |
| sherpa | 117896 | 0.40% |
| Khas | 117511 | 0.40 % |
Languages spoken by small size of Population in Nepal
According to the 2078 census, there are a total of 124 native language speaking communities in Nepal. Among them, the 10 mother tongues spoken by the least population are given below.
| Languages | Population |
|---|---|
| Kusunda | 23 |
| Bankariya | 86 |
| Sam | 106 |
| Hariyanwi | 114 |
| Sadhani | 122 |
| Khariya | 132 |
| Malpande | 161 |
| Surel | 174 |
| Belhare | 177 |
| Phangduwali | 247 |
Nepal is a shared flower bed of religion, culture, language and literature. Although it is a very small part of the world, its language, culture and history are vast. Here every community and every caste has its own original language. Nepal is a garden of language where you can find a variety of flowers called languages.
