Languages of Nepal
| Languages of Nepal | |
|---|---|
Ethnolinguistic map of Nepal | |
| Official | Nepali |
| Semi-official | Newar, Maithili, Limbu, Bhojpuri, Bajjika, Tamang, Magar, Gurung, Tharu, Awadhi, |
| Indigenous | Many Indo-Aryan languages and Sino-Tibetan languages; Kurukh, Santali |
| Vernacular | Nepalese English |
| Foreign | English |
| Signed | Nepali Sign Language • Jhankot Sign Language • Jumla Sign Language • Ghandruk Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | |
Languages of Nepal, referred to as Nepalese languages in the country's constitution, are the languages having at least an ancient history or origin inside the sovereign territory of Nepal, spoken by Nepalis.
There were 124 mother tongues according to the "National Report on caste/ethnicity, language & religion", National Population and Housing Census 2021 in Nepal.
Nepali accounted as a mother tongue for 44.86% while also being a second additional language for 46.2% of the total population. Most belong to the Indo-Aryan and Sino-Tibetan language families.
The official working language at federal level is Nepali, but the constitution provisions each province to choose one or more additional official working languages. The Language Commission of Nepal in 2021 recommended 14 official languages for different provinces of Nepal.
The mother languages of Nepal, or languages of Nepali origin are sometimes referred to as Nepali languages.