अरू / अर्को

Other and Another

Level 3Sounds Like arū ra arkō

अरू is others, and अर्को is another one.

How It Works

Nepali has two words for other.

  • अर्को is another, one more, or the next: अर्को दिन, अर्को कप चिया, अर्को हप्ता.
  • अरू is other, else, the rest: अरू साथीहरू, अरू कोही, अरू केही.

अरू can stand alone for other people and takes postpositions the usual way: अरूलाई (to others), अरूको (others').

Use अर्को with one thing you can count. Use अरू with more than one, with things you do not count, and with कोही and केही. अर्को हप्ता means next week, while अरू हप्ताहरू would mean the other weeks.

The same split works for people: अर्को मान्छे is one more person, and अरू मान्छे are the other people. In a negative sentence, अरू कोही means nobody else and अरू केही means nothing else.

Examples (5)

  1. अर्को दिन आउनुहोस्।

    Please come another day.

    अर्को goes before the singular noun दिन.

  2. अरू कोही आएन।

    Nobody else came.

    अरू कोही means no one else.

  3. मलाई अर्को कप चिया दिनुहोस्।

    Please give me another cup of tea.

    अर्को asks for one more cup.

  4. अरूलाई पनि सोध्नुहोस्।

    Ask the others too.

    अरू takes the postposition लाई.

  5. अर्को हप्ता म काठमाडौं जान्छु।

    Next week I am going to Kathmandu.

    अर्को also means next.

Common Mistakes

  • A learner uses अर्को before a plural noun.

    अर्को साथीहरू पनि आए।
    अरू साथीहरू पनि आए।

    अर्को is for one thing, so a plural needs अरू.

How It Connects

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अरू / अर्कोLevel 3Other and Another

Learn This First

अरू and अर्को mean other.