Top 10 Languages in which Newspapers are published

Last updated on 2024-04-23
Top 10 Languages in which Newspapers are published

Nepal is one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse countries in the world where around 125 languages are spoken as a mother tongue. Nepal is a culturally diversified nation where each and every socio-cultural group has its own language which makes a spatial variation of linguistic geography. We have nearly 38 different languages in which Newspapers are registered in Nepal, among which we have compiled the top ten Newspapers registered by Language in Nepal from the year 2015 to 2020.

*The ranking is based on an Economic Survey report published by the Ministry of Finance for 2019/20.

10. Sanskrit

Sanskrit
Image Source: Sudharma Sanskrit Daily

Sanskrit language is one of the oldest languages and is the origin of the Nepali language. The Sanskrit language was considered to be the official language during the medieval period when Lichhavi rulers officially used Sanskrit as their primary dialect. However, with the political changes, the Sanskrit language faced an existential crisis. But in the present situation, the Sanskrit language is gaining popularity among Nepalese citizens and even globally. In Nepal, according to Census 2011, we have 0.01% of the population using this language as a mode of communication. We have 30 newspapers published in this language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 30
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Most of the parts of Nepal
  • Newspapers : Not Available

9. Bhojpuri

Bhojpuri
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Bhojpuri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Terai region of Nepal. It has a similar inflexion system to the other languages of the same family such as Bengali, Maithili, and Odia. It is used as a source of communication in many districts that have the majority of people speaking Bhojpuri are Chitwan, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa, and Rautahat. According to Census 2011, Bhojpuri is spoken by nearly 5.98% of Nepal’s total population and has nearly 46 registered newspaper publishers. Bhojpuri Times is one of the newspapers published in the Bhojpuri language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 46
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Chitwan, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa and Rautahat
  • Newspapers : Bhojpuri Times and many more

8. Urdu

Urdu
Image Source: superprof

The Urdu language is a member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages. It is a regional language spoken in the southern part of the Madhesh Area. It is a language of beauty and grace that adds a charm to poetry and is somewhat similar to Arabic and Hindi Languages. As per Census 2011, Urdu is spoken by nearly 2.61% of Nepal’s total population and has nearly 51 registered newspaper publishers. Urdu Times is among the newspapers published in the Urdu language in Nepal.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 51
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Southern part of Madhesh Area
  • Newspapers : Urdu Times and many more

7. Tamang

Tamang
Image Source: Omniglot

Tamang language is one of the officially recognized indigenous languages in Nepal and is a member of the Tamangic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It mainly has four varieties based on the zone of use i.e. Eastern Tamang, Western Tamang, Northwestern Tamang, and Eastern Gorkha Tamang. Tamang language is written mainly with the Devanagiri alphabet and sometimes also uses the Tibetan alphabet. Tamang language is spoken in districts of Kathmandu, Chitwan, Dolka, Lalitpur, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Gorkha, and in many parts of Sikkim, West Bengal (Darjeeling), North-Eastern India, and Bhutan. As per Census 2011, around 5.1% of the population of the country consider Tamang as their primary language for communication and has nearly 54 newspapers published under the language. Lasso, Fya Fulla, Tamang Dajang are a few of the newspapers published in this language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 54
  • Family of Language : Sino-Tibetan
  • Region of Speech : Kathmandu, Chitwan, Dolka, Lalitpur, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Gorkha
  • Newspapers : Lasso, Fya Fulla, Tamang Dajang and many more

6. Tharu

Tharu
Image Source: The Kathmandu Post

Tharu language is one of the major languages spoken in Nepal belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages spoken by the Tharu people of the Terai region in Nepal and neighboring regions of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar in India. In Spite of having their own precise classification within Indo-Aryan remains uncertain, Tharu languages have superficial similarities with neighboring languages such as Kumaoni, Awadhi, Maithili, Bengali, and Bhojpuri. According to census 2011, nearly 5.8% of the population speak using this language as their first preference of communication. We have nearly 84 newspapers published in this language among which Hamar Sanghariya is one of them.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 84
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Many Regions of Terai region in Nepal
  • Newspapers : Hamar Sanghariya and many more

5. Hindi

Hindi
Image Source: epapershub

The Hindi language is one of the spoken languages in Nepal belonging to the Indo- Aryan language family from the Sanskrit language as their root linguistic. Hindi is spoken as a secondary language in eastern Terai mainly in outer Terai districts of Nepal including Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari. According to census 2011, around 0.2% of the population speak this language as their primary medium of communication. With its practice among the Nepalese population, we have nearly 163 newspapers published in this language among which Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, and many more.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 163
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari
  • Newspapers : Jagran, Dhainik Bhaskar and many more

4. Maithali

Maithali
Image Source: Pinterest

Maithali is the second most spoken language in Nepal and belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family native to the subcontinent of India. Maithili is spoken as a mother-tongue in eastern Terai mainly in outer Terai districts of Nepal including Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari. Later, the language expanded towards Kathmandu valley with many manuscripts written in Maithili that are preserved in the National Archive, Kathmandu. According to census 2011, 11.67 % of the population speak this language as their primary medium of communication. With its practice among the Nepalese population, we have nearly 235 newspapers published in this language among which Esamaad is one of them.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 235
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari
  • Newspapers : Esamaad

3. Newari

Newari
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Newari, officially Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the native inhabitants of the Kathmandu valley and surrounding region in Nepal. It was considered as an administrative language from 14th to the late 18th century but later from 1952 to 1991, the language suffered from official suppression. But now to preserve the language and culture of Kathmandu, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has made Nepal Bhasa compulsory in the school curriculum from Grade I to VIII. With this implementation, all private and public schools inside the Kathmandu metropolis will now have to teach Nepal Bhasa. According to census 2011, around 3.19 % of the population use Nepal Bhasa as their language of communication and nearly 276 newspapers are published under this language among which a few of them are Nepal Bhasa Patrika, Lahana Newspaper, Sandhya Times, Jheegu Swanigah, and many more.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 276
  • Family of Language : Sino-Tibetan
  • Region of Speech : Kathmandu valley and surrounding regions in Nepal
  • Newspapers : Nepal Bhasa Patrika, Lahana Newspapers, Sandhya Times, Jheegu Swanigah and many more

2. English

English
Image Source: pbs.twimg.com

The English language was first recorded in the seventeenth century from the Malla period. Beforehand, English was considered as a foreign language but with its gaining multi-dimensional status and popularity, English has become a primary language and indispensable part of Nepalese life. It has influenced all spheres of Nepalese lives with its involvement in the social-political milieu. According to census 2011, 0.30% of Nepalese speak English as their second language in major cities such as Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Janakpur, and Chitwan as their second language of communication. We have nearly 276 newspapers published in the Nepalese language among which a few of them are The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, myRepublica, and many more.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 276
  • Family of Language : Germanic Language
  • Region of Speech : Mostly in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Janakpur, and Chitwan
  • Newspapers : The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, myRepublica and many more

1. Nepali

Nepali
Image Source: Nepali Times

The Nepali language, the official language of Nepal, originally belonged to the Indo-Aryan language family which is also described as Khas Kura, the language of the Khas kingdom. It is written in Devanagari script and originated in the western hilly region of Nepal, some 500 years ago. It was spoken by the Khas people of the Karnali region. It was also known as ‘Gorkhali’ before the term Nepali was adopted. Over the centuries, different forms of Nepali language emerged with distinctive influences with the communities from Sanskrit, Maithili, Hindi, and Bengali making Nepali the common language for all. There are over 17 million Nepali speakers in the world, in countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Brunei, and India. With over 44.6% of Nepal's population using Nepali as their language of communication, we have nearly 30,622 newspapers published in the Nepalese language. Gorkhapatra, Kantipur, Naya Patrika, Nepal Samacharpatra, Nagarik, are a few of the newspapers that are published in the Nepali language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 30, 622
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Most of the parts of Nepal
  • Newspapers : Gorkhapatra, Kantipur, Naya Patrika, Nepal Samacharpatra, Nagarik and many more

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Sanskrit Bhojpuri Urdu Tamang Tharu Hindi Maithali Newari English Nepali

10.

Sanskrit

9.

Bhojpuri

8.

Urdu

7.

Tamang

6.

Tharu

5.

Hindi

4.

Maithali

3.

Newari

2.

English

1.

Nepali

10. Sanskrit

Sanskrit
Image Source: Sudharma Sanskrit Daily

Sanskrit language is one of the oldest languages and is the origin of the Nepali language. The Sanskrit language was considered to be the official language during the medieval period when Lichhavi rulers officially used Sanskrit as their primary dialect. However, with the political changes, the Sanskrit language faced an existential crisis. But in the present situation, the Sanskrit language is gaining popularity among Nepalese citizens and even globally. In Nepal, according to Census 2011, we have 0.01% of the population using this language as a mode of communication. We have 30 newspapers published in this language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 30
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Most of the parts of Nepal
  • Newspapers : Not Available

9. Bhojpuri

Bhojpuri
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Bhojpuri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Terai region of Nepal. It has a similar inflexion system to the other languages of the same family such as Bengali, Maithili, and Odia. It is used as a source of communication in many districts that have the majority of people speaking Bhojpuri are Chitwan, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa, and Rautahat. According to Census 2011, Bhojpuri is spoken by nearly 5.98% of Nepal’s total population and has nearly 46 registered newspaper publishers. Bhojpuri Times is one of the newspapers published in the Bhojpuri language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 46
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Chitwan, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa and Rautahat
  • Newspapers : Bhojpuri Times and many more

8. Urdu

Urdu
Image Source: superprof

The Urdu language is a member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages. It is a regional language spoken in the southern part of the Madhesh Area. It is a language of beauty and grace that adds a charm to poetry and is somewhat similar to Arabic and Hindi Languages. As per Census 2011, Urdu is spoken by nearly 2.61% of Nepal’s total population and has nearly 51 registered newspaper publishers. Urdu Times is among the newspapers published in the Urdu language in Nepal.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 51
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Southern part of Madhesh Area
  • Newspapers : Urdu Times and many more

7. Tamang

Tamang
Image Source: Omniglot

Tamang language is one of the officially recognized indigenous languages in Nepal and is a member of the Tamangic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It mainly has four varieties based on the zone of use i.e. Eastern Tamang, Western Tamang, Northwestern Tamang, and Eastern Gorkha Tamang. Tamang language is written mainly with the Devanagiri alphabet and sometimes also uses the Tibetan alphabet. Tamang language is spoken in districts of Kathmandu, Chitwan, Dolka, Lalitpur, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Gorkha, and in many parts of Sikkim, West Bengal (Darjeeling), North-Eastern India, and Bhutan. As per Census 2011, around 5.1% of the population of the country consider Tamang as their primary language for communication and has nearly 54 newspapers published under the language. Lasso, Fya Fulla, Tamang Dajang are a few of the newspapers published in this language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 54
  • Family of Language : Sino-Tibetan
  • Region of Speech : Kathmandu, Chitwan, Dolka, Lalitpur, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Gorkha
  • Newspapers : Lasso, Fya Fulla, Tamang Dajang and many more

6. Tharu

Tharu
Image Source: The Kathmandu Post

Tharu language is one of the major languages spoken in Nepal belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages spoken by the Tharu people of the Terai region in Nepal and neighboring regions of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar in India. In Spite of having their own precise classification within Indo-Aryan remains uncertain, Tharu languages have superficial similarities with neighboring languages such as Kumaoni, Awadhi, Maithili, Bengali, and Bhojpuri. According to census 2011, nearly 5.8% of the population speak using this language as their first preference of communication. We have nearly 84 newspapers published in this language among which Hamar Sanghariya is one of them.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 84
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Many Regions of Terai region in Nepal
  • Newspapers : Hamar Sanghariya and many more

5. Hindi

Hindi
Image Source: epapershub

The Hindi language is one of the spoken languages in Nepal belonging to the Indo- Aryan language family from the Sanskrit language as their root linguistic. Hindi is spoken as a secondary language in eastern Terai mainly in outer Terai districts of Nepal including Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari. According to census 2011, around 0.2% of the population speak this language as their primary medium of communication. With its practice among the Nepalese population, we have nearly 163 newspapers published in this language among which Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, and many more.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 163
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari
  • Newspapers : Jagran, Dhainik Bhaskar and many more

4. Maithali

Maithali
Image Source: Pinterest

Maithali is the second most spoken language in Nepal and belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family native to the subcontinent of India. Maithili is spoken as a mother-tongue in eastern Terai mainly in outer Terai districts of Nepal including Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari. Later, the language expanded towards Kathmandu valley with many manuscripts written in Maithili that are preserved in the National Archive, Kathmandu. According to census 2011, 11.67 % of the population speak this language as their primary medium of communication. With its practice among the Nepalese population, we have nearly 235 newspapers published in this language among which Esamaad is one of them.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 235
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Janakpur, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang, and Saptari
  • Newspapers : Esamaad

3. Newari

Newari
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Newari, officially Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the native inhabitants of the Kathmandu valley and surrounding region in Nepal. It was considered as an administrative language from 14th to the late 18th century but later from 1952 to 1991, the language suffered from official suppression. But now to preserve the language and culture of Kathmandu, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has made Nepal Bhasa compulsory in the school curriculum from Grade I to VIII. With this implementation, all private and public schools inside the Kathmandu metropolis will now have to teach Nepal Bhasa. According to census 2011, around 3.19 % of the population use Nepal Bhasa as their language of communication and nearly 276 newspapers are published under this language among which a few of them are Nepal Bhasa Patrika, Lahana Newspaper, Sandhya Times, Jheegu Swanigah, and many more.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 276
  • Family of Language : Sino-Tibetan
  • Region of Speech : Kathmandu valley and surrounding regions in Nepal
  • Newspapers : Nepal Bhasa Patrika, Lahana Newspapers, Sandhya Times, Jheegu Swanigah and many more

2. English

English
Image Source: pbs.twimg.com

The English language was first recorded in the seventeenth century from the Malla period. Beforehand, English was considered as a foreign language but with its gaining multi-dimensional status and popularity, English has become a primary language and indispensable part of Nepalese life. It has influenced all spheres of Nepalese lives with its involvement in the social-political milieu. According to census 2011, 0.30% of Nepalese speak English as their second language in major cities such as Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Janakpur, and Chitwan as their second language of communication. We have nearly 276 newspapers published in the Nepalese language among which a few of them are The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, myRepublica, and many more.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 276
  • Family of Language : Germanic Language
  • Region of Speech : Mostly in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Janakpur, and Chitwan
  • Newspapers : The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, myRepublica and many more

1. Nepali

Nepali
Image Source: Nepali Times

The Nepali language, the official language of Nepal, originally belonged to the Indo-Aryan language family which is also described as Khas Kura, the language of the Khas kingdom. It is written in Devanagari script and originated in the western hilly region of Nepal, some 500 years ago. It was spoken by the Khas people of the Karnali region. It was also known as ‘Gorkhali’ before the term Nepali was adopted. Over the centuries, different forms of Nepali language emerged with distinctive influences with the communities from Sanskrit, Maithili, Hindi, and Bengali making Nepali the common language for all. There are over 17 million Nepali speakers in the world, in countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Brunei, and India. With over 44.6% of Nepal's population using Nepali as their language of communication, we have nearly 30,622 newspapers published in the Nepalese language. Gorkhapatra, Kantipur, Naya Patrika, Nepal Samacharpatra, Nagarik, are a few of the newspapers that are published in the Nepali language.

  • No. of Newspapers published : 30, 622
  • Family of Language : Indo-Aryan
  • Region of Speech : Most of the parts of Nepal
  • Newspapers : Gorkhapatra, Kantipur, Naya Patrika, Nepal Samacharpatra, Nagarik and many more
Sanskrit Bhojpuri Urdu Tamang Tharu Hindi Maithali Newari English Nepali

10.

Sanskrit

9.

Bhojpuri

8.

Urdu

7.

Tamang

6.

Tharu

5.

Hindi

4.

Maithali

3.

Newari

2.

English

1.

Nepali

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