Card words, Nepali and English
A Nepali card table has its own vocabulary. If you learned the games in English, or are learning them now, the words can be harder than the rules. This glossary gives the plain meaning of each word and names the game where you will hear it. Spellings in English letters vary from family to family, so say the word aloud if it looks unfamiliar.
The pack and the four suits
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Taas | Playing cards, or a pack of cards |
| Patti | A single card; also a leaf |
| Paan | Hearts |
| Ita, also itta | Diamonds |
| Chidi | Clubs |
| Hukum | Spades |
| Ekka | Ace |
| Baadshah | King. At the table most people say baassa. |
| Missi | Queen |
| Gullaam | Jack; the word also means servant |
You will meet the suit names again in Jhandaa Burja, where four of the six dice symbols are Paan, Ita, Chidi and Hukum. Many families know that dice game as Langur Burja.
Marriage words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Maal | The point cards. Literally "goods". Your maal is counted when the round is settled. |
| Tiplu | The hidden card chosen when the first player opens. Cards of its rank, and its two neighbours in the same suit, become wild. |
| Jhiplu and poplu | Common names for the cards just below and just above the tiplu in the same suit. Our guide calls them the lower and upper neighbours. |
| Alter | The card with the tiplu's rank and colour in the other suit. A table can score it at five points or at zero. |
| Marriage | The lower neighbour, the tiplu and the upper neighbour held together. It gives the game its name and scores well. |
| Tunnela | Three identical cards: same rank and same suit, from the three decks. |
| Dubli | A pair of identical cards. The pairs route is often called playing dubli. |
| Sequence | Three cards in a row in one suit. A pure sequence has no wild card. |
| Open | To show three pure groups (pure sequences or tunnelas), or seven exact pairs, so that you may see the tiplu. |
| Murder and Kidnap | Two ways to treat the maal of a player who never opened. Murder removes it. Kidnap gives it to the finisher. |
The full rules are in the Marriage guide.
Jhyap and Dhumbal
Jhyap is the call you make when your hand is low enough to end the round. The word suggests something quick, like a snap. Dhumbal is another name for the same game. A throw is the card or cards you put down on your turn. To be busted is to call and find that another player has the same total or less. See the Jhyap guide.
Callbreak words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Call | The number of tricks you say you will win, before play starts. Also called a bid. |
| Haat | A trick: one card from each of the four players. Literally "hand". |
| Turup | Trump. In Callbreak the trump suit is always spades. |
| Break | To fall short of your call and lose those points. |
See the Callbreak guide.
Three-card games: Kitti and Fallaas
Kitti is the game of nine cards arranged into three hands. Fallaas is the Nepali way of saying flush, and names the three-card game played with a single hand. Both use the same ranking words.
- Trail: three cards of the same rank.
- Suited run: three cards in a row in one suit.
- Run: three cards in a row in mixed suits.
- Flush, also colour: three cards of one suit.
- Jut: a pair.
See the Kitti and Fallaas guides.
Pair games
Jutpatti joins two words you already know: jut, a pair, and patti, a card. The name describes the game, which is about matching cards in pairs. Gullaam Chor means the jack thief. One jack is left without a partner, and the player holding it at the end is the chor, the thief. See the Jutpatti and Gullaam Chor guides.
Board and dice words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Baagh | Tiger |
| Chaal | A move. Baagh Chaal is the tiger's move. |
| Bakhra | Goat |
| Goti | A playing piece or counter |
| Jhandaa, also jhandi | Flag, one of the six dice symbols |
| Burja | Crown, another of the six symbols |
See the Baagh Chaal and Jhandaa Burja guides.
Words used at every table
- Deal: to give out the cards. The dealer changes each round.
- Round: one complete deal, from the first card to the scoring.
- House rules: the version of the rules a particular family or table follows.
- Points: the only thing played for on EverestBuzz.
A note on spelling
Nepali is written in Devanagari, and there is no single agreed way to write these words in English letters. You may see tiplu or tipplu, tunnela or tunnella, dubli or dublee, gulam or gullaam, bagh chal or baagh chaal. They are the same words. If you think a meaning here is wrong for your region, tell us and we will look at it.
Everything on EverestBuzz is points only: no money, bets or prizes.