Spelling Nepali Names in English

Why one name has many spellings

Nepali is written in Devanagari, which has more vowel and consonant sounds than English has letters. There is no single official way to write Nepali names in the Roman alphabet, so families, schools and offices have each made their own choices over the years.

Some spellings follow how the name is written in Devanagari. Others follow how it actually sounds in everyday Nepali speech. That is why विवेक can be Vivek (following the letters) or Bibek (following the common Nepali pronunciation). Both are correct. In our sample of recorded names, Bibek is far more common, with 427 bearers against 46 for Vivek.

The sections below go through the most common pairs. If you want to hear how a name is said, see our pronunciation guide.

Long and short vowels: aa or a, ee or i, oo or u

Devanagari has a short अ (a) and a long आ (aa). Many families write the long vowel as aa so the name is said correctly, while others simply write a. So आयुष is both Aayush and Ayush, आकाश is both Aakash and Akash, and आरती is Aarati, Arati or Aarti.

The same happens with इ and ई. The long ई is often written ee, the short इ as i. You will see Deepak and Dipak (दीपक), Deepika and Dipika (दीपिका), Sanjeev and Sanjiv (संजीव), and Preeti and Priti (प्रीति).

For उ and ऊ, the long vowel is sometimes written oo: Pooja and Puja (पूजा), or Anoop and Anup (अनुप). In Nepal the shorter spellings with a single i or u are very common, because everyday Nepali speech does not stretch these vowels much.

Sh or s: Shanti or Santi

Nepali has three letters for s-like sounds: स, श and ष. In careful Sanskrit pronunciation they differ, but in everyday Nepali they are often said almost alike. So a name written with श may be spelled with sh or with plain s.

Common pairs include Shanti and Santi (शान्ति), Sharmila and Sarmila (शर्मिला), Sushil and Susil (सुशील), Shankar and Sankar (शंकर), and Shubham and Subham (शुभम). The sh spelling usually signals the श in the original word more clearly.

W, b or v: Bibek or Vivek, Ishwor or Ishwar

The Devanagari letter व is the biggest source of variation. At the start of a name it is very often said as b in Nepali, so it is written b. In the middle of a word, after another consonant, it often sounds closer to w. Hindi and Sanskrit style spellings use v instead.

That gives pairs like Bibek and Vivek, Binod and Vinod, Bishal and Vishal, Bikram and Vikram, and Bishnu and Vishnu. In the middle of names you see Bhuwan and Bhuvan (भुवन), and Nawaraj and Nabaraj (नवराज).

The ending ईश्वर shows two changes at once. Ishwar follows the letters, while Ishwor follows Nepali speech, where the short a sound is often closer to an o. That is why you find both -war and -wor endings, as in Maheshwor and Rameshwor. Browse boy names ending in -wor and -war to compare.

Ksh, kshya and x: Pratiksha or Pratikshya

The conjunct क्ष (ksha) is written several ways. A Sanskrit-style spelling uses ksh, as in Pratiksha (प्रतीक्षा). Many Nepali families write kshya instead, as in Pratikshya, because that is closer to how क्ष is often said in Nepali.

The same split appears in Diksha and Dikshya (दीक्षा), Samiksha and Samikshya (समीक्षा), and Raksha and Rakshya (रक्षा). In our sample of recorded names the kshya spellings are very popular. You can see more on the list of girl names ending in -kshya.

Some names use x for the same sound, a short form that has become standard in a few names. लक्ष्मी is written Laxmi far more often than Lakshmi, and लक्ष्मण is usually Laxman rather than Lakshman.

The silent final a

Every Devanagari consonant carries a short a sound unless it is marked otherwise. At the end of a word, that final a is usually not pronounced in Nepali speech. So सञ्जय is said and usually written Sanjay, though Sanjaya is also used, especially in more formal or Sanskrit-style spelling.

The same thing explains Shiv and Shiva (शिव), and why names such as Krishna (कृष्ण) keep the final a in English even though it is said lightly. For girls, the final a is usually a real long vowel (आ), as in Sita (सीता), so it is always written.

This also matters for gender. A boy's name written with a final a in English can look like a girl's name to people unfamiliar with Nepali, so some families drop it to avoid confusion.

Ph or f, and other pairs

The Devanagari letter फ is an aspirated p sound, but many Nepali speakers say it close to an English f. So फणीन्द्र appears as Phanindra and as Fanindra. The ph spelling is more traditional, and the f spelling follows modern speech.

A few more pairs you will meet:

• ou or au: Saurav and Sourav (सौरभ).
• Silent or doubled letters: Sachidanand and Sachchidanand.
• Different spoken forms of the same word: Srijana, Shrijana and Sirjana.
• Spellings that drop a vowel: Sapana and Sapna (सपना).

Pick one spelling and keep it everywhere

The most important rule is consistency. Whichever spelling you choose, use exactly the same letters on the birth registration, school certificates, citizenship and passport. A difference of one letter, such as Bibek on one document and Vivek on another, can cause delays with visas, exams and bank accounts later in life.

Before you decide, think about where your child will live and study. A spelling that follows Nepali speech, like Bibek or Pratikshya, is familiar in Nepal. A spelling that follows the Devanagari letters, like Vivek or Pratiksha, may be easier for people abroad who know the name from Hindi. Neither is wrong.

Use the name in Nepali tool to check the Devanagari form, and the full name checker to see your chosen spelling with your surname. For the wider picture, read how to choose a Nepali baby name.