nepalese

IPA/ˌnep.əlˈiːz/
KK[nˌɛpəlˈiz]IPA/ˌnep.əlˈiːz/

nepalese — noun

  • nepalesesingular
  • nepalesesplural

1. someone whose home country is Nepal.

1.nounB1
Definition

someone whose home country is Nepal.

Example

Tomás met a Nepalese engineer on his flight to Doha.

countable use: a Nepalese + job noun

Several Nepalese worked at the trekking company near the lake.

plural group reference: several Nepalese

Common collocations
  • a Nepalese student
  • young Nepalese
  • Nepalese people
Synonyms
  • Nepali

    more usual in modern everyday English, but the meaning is the same

Grammar Patterns

a Nepalese

Nepalese people

Usage Note

Capitalise it in English. Many speakers now prefer Nepali, but Nepalese is still standard for a person from the country.

Common Mistakes

She is a nepalese.
She is a Nepalese.
nationality words from country names need a capital letter.

2. the language used most widely in Nepal.

2.nounB1
Definition

the language used most widely in Nepal.

Example

Indra learned basic Nepalese before hiking in the Annapurna region.

object pattern: learn / study Nepalese

The notice was written in Nepalese and English for visitors.

preposition pattern: in Nepalese

Common collocations
  • speak Nepalese
  • written in Nepalese
  • basic Nepalese
Synonyms
  • Nepali

    the form now preferred by many speakers for the language

Grammar Patterns

speak Nepalese

in Nepalese

Usage Note

Use it as an uncountable language name: speak Nepalese, write in Nepalese. Distinguish from sense 1, which names a person.

Common Mistakes

He speaks the Nepalese.
He speaks Nepalese.
language names usually take no article after 'speak'.

nepalese — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Nepalese and Nepali both describe people, things, and culture connected with Nepal. In present-day English, many speakers choose Nepali more often in daily use, while Nepalese can sound a little older or more formal, though it is still correct. Himalayan is broader: it refers to the mountain region that stretches across several countries, so a Himalayan trail or village is not necessarily in Nepal. Sherpa is narrower: it names a particular ethnic group from Nepal's high mountains, and by extension people from that group who work as climbing guides. Compare a Nepalese meal from Kathmandu, a Himalayan valley on the border, and a Sherpa guide leading a climbing team.

Nepalese ↗Nepali ↗HimalayanSherpa ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Nepalese food
  • Nepalese music
  • Nepalese language

Phrases

  • speak Nepalese
  • a Nepalese family

Prepositions

  • from Nepal
  • in Nepalese

Etymology

English

Formed in English from the country name Nepal and the suffix -ese. English uses this ending in words for people, languages, and things connected with a place, as in Chinese or Japanese. Today Nepalese often appears beside Nepali, a newer form that many speakers now prefer in everyday contexts.

First known use

1819

1819, in the meaning defined above