Key Nepali sounds, aspirated consonants, and stress patterns for accurate pronunciation. Front: the sound pattern or example word (romanization in parentheses). Back: meaning plus a plain-English pronunciation note.
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- ख vs क (Kha vs Ka)
- Ka is a plain unaspirated 'k'; kha is aspirated with a puff of air. Example: कलम (kalam, pen) vs खाना (khaanaa, food).
- घ vs ग (Gha vs Ga)
- Ga is a plain unaspirated 'g'; gha is aspirated with a puff of breath. Example: घर (ghar, house) uses the aspirated form.
- छ vs च (Chha vs Cha)
- Cha is a plain 'ch'; chha is aspirated with extra breath, and also doubles as the common verb 'is/are'. Example word: छोरा (chhora, son).
- थ vs त (Tha vs Ta)
- Ta is a plain dental 't'; tha is aspirated with a puff of air. Example word: थाहा (thaha, knowledge).
- ध vs द (Dha vs Da)
- Da is a plain dental 'd'; dha is aspirated. Example word: धन्यवाद (dhanyabaad, thank you).
- फ vs प (Pha vs Pa)
- Pa is a plain 'p'; pha is aspirated with a strong puff of air, close to an English 'f' in casual speech. Example word: फूल (phul, flower).
- भ vs ब (Bha vs Ba)
- Ba is a plain 'b'; bha is aspirated. Example word: भात (bhaat, cooked rice).
- ट vs त (Ta retroflex vs Ta dental)
- Nepali distinguishes a retroflex 't' (tongue curled back) from a dental 't' (tongue at the teeth); mixing them can change word meaning.
- ड vs द (Da retroflex vs Da dental)
- Similarly, there is a retroflex 'd' and a dental 'd'; English speakers often flatten both into one sound, losing the distinction.
- ण vs न (Retroflex na vs dental Na)
- Nepali has both a retroflex nasal and a dental nasal 'n'; the retroflex version is rarer but appears in some loanwords from Sanskrit.
- Nasalized vowels (chandrabindu)
- A moon-shaped mark over a vowel nasalizes it, pushing air through the nose. Example word: हुँ (hun, am), the first-person verb ending.
- अं anusvara
- A dot above a letter representing a nasal sound before the next consonant. Example word: संगीत (sangeet, music).
- ऋ vowel
- A vocalic 'r' sound found in Sanskrit-derived words, often pronounced simply as 'ri' in modern Nepali.
- श, ष, स (three s-like letters)
- Nepali historically distinguishes three sibilant letters, but in modern speech all three are usually pronounced the same, like English 's'.
- Word stress tendency
- Nepali stress is generally even across syllables, without the strong stress accents of English, giving speech a more level rhythm.
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