How to Type in Nepali on Phone and Computer (Romanized Unicode Guide)
Type Nepali with English letters on Android, iPhone and computer: the Romanized rules (aa, ee, T, D, Sh), why to avoid Preeti, and a free online typing tool.
Want to write नमस्ते but only have an English keyboard? You don't need a special Nepali keyboard or to memorise a new layout. With Romanized Nepali typing you write words the way they sound in English letters, and they turn into proper Nepali Unicode.
The fastest way to start: open the free English to Nepali typing tool and type mero naam. You'll get मेरो नाम.
Unicode, not Preeti
Before anything else, make sure you are typing Unicode:
- Unicode Nepali stores real Devanagari letters. It works on every phone, in Facebook, Gmail, Word and Google Docs, and Google can search it.
- Preeti is an old font that draws Nepali shapes on English keys. Without the font, नेपाल appears as
g]kfn.
Learned to type on the Preeti layout? The Nepali keyboard lets you keep using the same keys, but produces proper Unicode.
The rules of Romanized Nepali
You only need a handful of rules.
1. Long vowels: double the letter (or use a capital)
| Type | Get | Example |
|---|---|---|
a |
अ / (no sign) | kam → कम |
aa or A |
आ / ा | kaam → काम |
i |
इ / ि | din → दिन |
ee or I |
ई / ी | tIn → तीन |
u |
उ / ु | phul → फुल |
oo or U |
ऊ / ू | phUl → फूल |
e, ai, o, au |
ए ऐ ओ औ | mero → मेरो |
2. Capital letters for the "hard" sounds
t d n give त द न, while T D N give ट ड ण. sh is श and Sh is ष. For example, TikaT → टिकट and bhaaShaa → भाषा.
3. Consonants join on their own
Two consonants side by side make a conjunct: namaste → नमस्ते, prashna → प्रश्न, shree → श्री. A consonant at the end of a word keeps its normal sound, so naam gives नाम. To force a halanta at the end, add a backslash: garchhan\ → गर्छन्.
4. Special signs
| Type | Get |
|---|---|
M |
ं (anusvara): saMgIt → संगीत |
* or ~ |
ँ (chandrabindu): sa*ga → सँग |
R |
ऋ / ृ: kRShNa → कृष्ण |
ksh, tr, gy |
क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ |
. |
। (purna biram) |
{English} |
keeps English words as typed |
The typing tool has a full cheat sheet, and its smart spelling option fixes everyday words typed casually, like nepal → नेपाल and dhanyabad → धन्यवाद.
Typing Nepali on your phone
Android (Gboard): open Gboard settings → Languages → Add keyboard → search Nepali, and choose the option that lets you type in English letters (transliteration). Then switch keyboards with the globe key.
iPhone: go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Nepali. Apple's Nepali keyboard uses a Devanagari layout (you tap Nepali letters directly). If you prefer typing with English letters, some third-party keyboards offer transliteration, or you can type in the online tool and copy the result.
Typing Nepali on a computer
- Any computer, no install: use the online typing tool, then copy and paste.
- Windows and macOS both include Nepali/Devanagari input options in their language or keyboard settings, and installable Romanized Nepali Unicode keyboards are also available if you type Nepali every day.
Practice sentences
Try these in the tool:
mero desh nepal ho.→ मेरो देश नेपाल हो।tapaai*lai dashain ko shubhakaamanaa!→ तपाइँलाई दशैं को शुभकामना!ma bholi kaaThamaaDauM jaanchhu.→ म भोलि काठमाडौं जान्छु।
Once the long-vowel and capital-letter rules click, you'll type Nepali as fast as English.
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