Adventure Guru Travel Stories

1. Namaste: the traditional (informal) greeting in Nepal. During your visit to Nepal, you will say this word more times than you can count. Use the more formal and polite greeting (Namaskar) when addressing an elder or when the situation dictates.
2. Thik chha?: stated as a question means How are you? or You okay? This is an informal way of asking but appropriate when conversing with your trekking staff. A typical reply would be ‘Thik thik’ as an acknowledgement that all is okay.
3. Yo ke ho?: when you don’t know what something is, this is how you ask “What is that? A great way to interact and learn new words from the person’s response.
4. Tapaaiko naam ke ho?: ‘What is your name”? This phrase is a great icebreaker when meeting local children on the trail.
5. Chhiya, chinni and dudh: Nepali words for tea, sugar and milk.

So, this is a good start to some useful words. Find a good Nepali phrasebook and practice before landing in Kathmandu. Some good books are ‘Trekking in Nepal’ by Stephen Bezruchka and a ‘Basic Course in Spoken Nepali’ by Tika B. Karki. Good luck and have fun!

Comments

Add a New Comment