How to type Nepali on a phone and a computer
Typing Nepali is easier than it used to be. Most phones and computers can do it with the keyboard they already have. You can also type Nepali in English letters on our own tool, without changing any settings. This guide covers both.
First, what Unicode means
Unicode gives every letter of every script its own number, so Nepali typed in Unicode shows correctly in messages, email, search and social media. Older fonts such as Preeti work differently. They draw Nepali shapes on top of English letters, and the text turns into English letters wherever that font is missing. For anything you send or post, type in Unicode. Our story Preeti or Unicode? explains more.
Choose a layout
A layout decides which key makes which letter.
- Romanized, or phonetic. You press the English letter that sounds like the Nepali one: k gives क and m gives म. This is the easiest start for anyone who already types English.
- Traditional. The keys follow the old Nepali typewriter arrangement. Trained typists are often fast with it.
- Transliteration. Some phone keyboards let you type a whole word in English letters, such as namaste, and offer नमस्ते.
The quickest way: our Roman ⇄ Unicode tool
Open Tools and choose Roman ⇄ Unicode. It opens on Roman → Unicode. Type Nepali the way it sounds, such as mero desh nepal ho, and you get मेरो देश नेपाल हो, ready to copy into a message. It also works the other way, Unicode → Roman. It runs on your device, and nothing you type is uploaded.
On an Android phone
Many Android phones come with Gboard, the Google keyboard. If yours does not, Gboard is free in the Play Store, or look for Nepali in your own keyboard's settings. In Gboard, tap where you can type, then tap Settings at the top of the keyboard. Choose Languages, then Add keyboard, pick Nepali, pick a layout and tap Done. To switch between English and Nepali, touch and hold the space bar. You can also turn on a globe key in Gboard's Preferences.
On an iPhone or iPad
Open Settings, then General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards, and tap Add New Keyboard. Pick Nepali from the list. While you type, touch and hold the globe key or the emoji key, then tap the keyboard you want.
On a Windows computer
On Windows 11, open Settings, then Time and language, then Language and region. Next to Preferred languages, choose Add a language, pick Nepali and install it. On Windows 10 the page is called Language. If no Nepali keyboard appears, open the language options for Nepali and choose Add a keyboard. Press the Windows key and the space bar together to switch keyboards. The language marker near the clock shows which one is active.
On a Mac
Open System Settings and click Keyboard. Under Text Input, click Edit next to Input Sources, click the add button, choose Nepali and click Add. Apple lists two Nepali layouts for the Mac, InScript and Remington. Once you have more than one input source, the input menu appears in the menu bar for switching.
Menu names vary a little between versions. If yours differ, search the settings for keyboard.
Joined letters
Nepali joins consonants with the halanta, the small stroke that removes a consonant's vowel sound. Type a consonant, the halanta, then the next consonant: क, halanta and ष give क्ष, and त, halanta and र give त्र. On our Roman ⇄ Unicode tool you do not need it, because two consonants typed in a row join by themselves.
Numbers
Many Nepali layouts type Nepali digits, १ २ ३. For a phone number or a price that a form must read, switch back to the English keyboard for the digits.
Old documents in Preeti
You do not need to retype old Preeti text. Our Roman ⇄ Unicode tool still has a Preeti converter, put away to keep the tool simple. Open the tool's Guide tab, find Old Preeti files? and press Show Preeti tools. The Convert tab then offers Preeti → Unicode as well. Read the result once; a few joined letters may need a small fix.
A short practice plan
- Type your own name and your family's names. The My name in Nepali card in the tool's Fun tab also shows other spellings.
- Type five words with joined letters, such as नमस्ते, धन्यवाद and विद्यालय.
- Play one Word race in the Fun tab: Nepali words in English letters, against a 60-second clock.
- Send one real message in Nepali every day for a week, perhaps starting with an Occasion wish from the Fun tab.
By the end of the week the layout will feel familiar, and you will stop looking at the keys.