Nepali is the official language of Nepal, where 44.9 percent of people said it was their mother tongue in the 2021 census, and it is written in the Devanagari script. Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone and Mango don't list Nepali among their languages, so this page covers the apps that do teach it.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Nepali. You learn from Nepali you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Say your partner's family lives in Kathmandu, and you want to greet them at dinner. Ask Poppy, your AI tutor, for a lesson on that evening, and she writes it at your level, with audio. Poppy explains any line you ask about.
To practice speaking with a person, see Practice With a Person.
- Poppy writes each lesson for your level, on topics you pick.
- Each lesson plays AI audio while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- The Nepali Letters course teaches the Devanagari letters with pictures and sounds, and you can read in Roman letters while you learn them.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn your own Nepali books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
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Ling
Ling teaches Nepali in short lessons. They start with sounds, essential words and greetings, and then move on to conversations.
- Short lessons with audio and game-style practice.
- A dialog feature for practicing conversations, and flashcards for new words.
- Flashcards
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uTalk
uTalk teaches Nepali words and phrases for talking with people and getting around on a trip. You can record yourself and compare it with the original.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases, sorted by topics like Family, Restaurant and Transport, all recorded by Nepali speakers.
- Memory games, and reviews that focus on the words you find hardest.
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italki
italki has Nepali tutors for video lessons. Each profile shows the languages the tutor speaks, so you can pick one who explains in English.
- Pick a Nepali tutor and book a video lesson.
- Trial lessons let you try a tutor first.
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Preply
Preply has Nepali tutors for private online lessons. Compare reviews and prices, and book a trial lesson to see whether you like the tutor.
- Read reviews and compare prices before you book a Nepali tutor.
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HelloTalk
HelloTalk is for language exchange. You chat with Nepali speakers, and they practice your language with you.
- Chat with Nepali speakers who want to learn your language.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- Learn Nepali For Beginners252 lessons in 26 chapters that start with the alphabet, greetings and numbers, with recorded audio and offline use.
- LipiMala: Learn NepaliTraces the Devanagari letters on screen, then moves on to vocabulary and sentences, with audio recorded by Nepali speakers. It is new and growing.
- Kapi: Learn NepaliAn AI tutor that listens to your pronunciation, plus handwriting practice for the Devanagari letters. It is new and growing.
Nepalgo has free Nepali lessons that cover the script, grammar and vocabulary, with a lesson each on the politeness levels and on the markers that follow a word. The Peace Corps Nepali course is in the public domain and comes with audio.
If you like a textbook, Complete Nepali from the Teach Yourself series teaches through dialogues, and the publisher says its audio is free on the Teach Yourself Library website.
For reading, StoryWeaver has Nepali picture books, and BBC News Nepali and Onlinekhabar publish the news in Nepali.
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. |
| Ling | Some lessons free | The first two beginner units are free in every language. Ling Pro opens all the lessons, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. |
| uTalk | Some lessons free | Every language has free starter words, and getting full marks in the games opens one more topic for free. For the rest, you subscribe or buy a language or topic. |
| italki | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each teacher sets their own price. Practicing with the community and taking the level test are free. |
| Preply | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each tutor sets their own price. If your first tutor isn't a good fit, you can try two more for free. |
| HelloTalk | Free version | Chatting with language partners is free. HelloTalk VIP removes ads and adds unlimited translations and more new partners each day. |
| Learn Nepali For Beginners | Some lessons free | Some learning content is free. Access to all lessons needs a one-time purchase or a subscription. |
| LipiMala: Learn Nepali | Free | It is free to download and has no ads, and its App Store page lists no in-app purchases. |
| Kapi: Learn Nepali | Not stated | It is free to download, and Kapi Pro is a paid yearly plan. Its page does not say which lessons are free. |
Menus in your language don't always mean Nepali explained in your language, so try one lesson before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Supported language pairs |
| Ling | 68 | Full list |
| uTalk | 140+ | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Learn Nepali For Beginners | 1 | Full list |
| LipiMala: Learn Nepali | 1 | Full list |
| Kapi: Learn Nepali | 12 | Full list |
Which Nepali app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Nepali, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Ling for short lessons, or with the free lessons on Nepalgo. The best way to learn Nepali has a plan for each week.
Does Duolingo teach Nepali?
No. Duolingo's course list doesn't include Nepali. Ling and uTalk both teach Nepali.
Do I need to learn the Devanagari letters first?
Yes, if you want to read signs, menus and the news. Nepali is written in Devanagari, which Nepalgo counts as 33 consonants and 12 vowels. Bubblegum's Nepali Letters course teaches them with pictures and sounds, and Bubblegum lets you read in Roman letters while you learn them. Some courses start with speaking, so you can begin with sounds and learn the letters when you are ready.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Constitution of Nepal, Article 7: Nepali written in Devanagari is the language of official business
- Trends in Nepal's Linguistic Demography: Insights from the 2021 Census (Nepali was the mother tongue of 44.9 percent; 124 languages)
- Nepalgo: the Nepali script (33 consonants and 12 vowels)
- Bubblegum: learn Nepali
- Duolingo course list (no Nepali course)
- Babbel: language courses
- Rosetta Stone: languages
- Mango Languages: available languages
- Ling: Learn Nepali
- Ling: FAQs (free units)
- Ling: pricing
- Ling on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Learn Nepali
- uTalk on the App Store (free starter words)
- uTalk: the languages you can learn from
- italki: Nepali teachers
- italki on the App Store
- Preply: online Nepali tutors (try 2 more tutors for free)
- Preply on the App Store
- HelloTalk: Nepali language partners
- HelloTalk: what's free
- HelloTalk: what the paid plan adds
- HelloTalk on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Learn Nepali For Beginners on the App Store (252 lessons)
- LipiMala: Learn Nepali on the App Store
- Kapi: Learn Nepali on the App Store
- Peace Corps Nepali Language Course (free, public domain)
- Complete Nepali Beginner to Intermediate Course (Teach Yourself), Hachette
- Nepalgo: free Nepali lessons
- StoryWeaver: Nepali books
- BBC News Nepali
- Onlinekhabar: Nepali news
- italki: what's free
