Language

According to the 2011 National Census, 123 languages are spoken as a mother tongue (first language) in Nepal. This can be seen as one of the Unique Cultural Characteristics In Nepal. The majority are from the Indo-Aryan and Sino-Tibetan language families. The federal official working language is Nepali, but the constitution allows each province to choose one or more additional official working languages. On September 6, 2021, the Nepal Language Commission recommended 14 official languages for Nepal's various provinces. Nepali languages are sometimes used to refer to Nepal's mother tongues or languages of Nepali origin.

Nepal's linguistic heritage is comprised of three major language families: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, and various indigenous language isolates. According to the 2011 census, the major languages of Nepal are Nepali (44.6%), Maithili (11.7%), Bhojpuri (6.0%), Tharu (5.8%), Tamang (5.1%), Nepal Bhasa (3.2%), Bajjika (3%) and Magar (3.0%), Doteli (3.0%), Urdu (2.6%), Awadhi (1.89%), and Sunwar. At least four indigenous sign languages exist in Nepal.

Nepali, a descendant of Sanskrit, is written in the Devanagari script. It is the official language of Nepal and serves as a lingua franca for Nepalis of various ethnolinguistic groups. Maithili, Awadhi, and Bhojpuri are regional languages spoken in the southern Terai region, and Urdu is widely spoken among Nepali Muslims. Tibetan dialects are spoken in and around the Himalayas, where standard literary Tibetan is widely understood by those with religious education. Local dialects in the Terai and hills are mostly unwritten, though efforts are being made to develop systems for writing many of them in Devanagari or the Roman alphabet.