Essential Nepali phrases

The universal greeting, palms together. 'Namaskar' is the more respectful form for elders and officials. It works in every setting in Nepal.

Thank you. Used less freely than English 'thanks' — Nepali speakers often express thanks through action rather than the word, and overusing it can sound formal.

How much is it? Essential in Asan and the markets, where the first price is a starting point rather than a price.

Electricity. Worth knowing because the word used to be attached to 'load shedding' in every conversation — Nepal ended scheduled cuts in 2018 and most older guidance has not caught up.

Non-Resident Nepali — a status under the NRN Act 2064 for foreign citizens of Nepali origin, which among other things permits buying residential and commercial property that a foreigner otherwise cannot.

Rent, and also — in Newari usage — a courtyard of the old city. Both meanings turn up when you are house-hunting in Patan.

Cold. Kathmandu houses have almost no heating and January indoors is colder than visitors expect. It is the most common complaint of a first winter here.

'Elder brother' and 'elder brother's wife' — used to address shopkeepers, drivers and neighbours. 'Didi' for an older woman. Nepali runs on kinship terms rather than names.

The labour permit from the Department of Labour. It is the document that unlocks the non-tourist visa, and it comes first — the visa counter is the last stop, not the first.

'It will happen' / 'okay'. The Nepali all-purpose agreement, and — as with insha'Allah elsewhere in the region — sometimes the polite delivery of a soft no.

Police, fire brigade and ambulance. Nepal has no single combined emergency number, so all three are worth programming separately.