Most Nepalis never sit down to learn proverbs. They pick them up from a grandmother scolding a cousin, a teacher writing one on the board, or an uncle ending an argument with a single line. This is a list of 50 that come up again and again, grouped by the situation they are used in. Each one is shown in Devanagari with a romanized reading, followed by what it means.
If you only want the best-known handful, start with famous Nepali proverbs and what they mean. This list goes wider.
The classics you will hear first
नाच्न नजान्ने आँगन टेढो
Naachna najaanne agan tedo
Placing the blame on something after being unable to do a task
The dancer who cannot dance blames the crooked courtyard. Usually the first ukhan a child learns, because it is aimed at children who blame the pencil for bad handwriting.
भुक्ने कुकुरले टोक्दैन
Bhukne kukur le tokdaina.
Barking dog seldom bites.
The dog that barks does not bite. People who make the most noise about what they will do rarely do it.
अर्काको आङ्गको जुम्रा देख्ने, आफ्नो आङ्गको भैसी पनि नदेख्ने
Arka ko aang ko jumra dekhne, aafno aang ko bhaisi pani nadekhne.
It is easy to point out others' flaws but difficult to recognize one's own shortcomings
You see the louse on someone else's body but not the buffalo on your own. A large fault in yourself is easier to miss than a small one in another person.
जसको लाठी उसको भैंसी
Jasko lathi usko bhaisi.
Jo snagha srot sadhan xa uni mathi hunxa
Whoever holds the stick owns the buffalo. Power decides who gets what, whatever is fair. It is the Nepali version of "might makes right."
बाँदरको हातमा नरिवल
Badar ko haat maa nariwal.
For a fragile thing or responsibility falling in the hands of irresponsible people
A coconut in a monkey's hands. Something valuable given to someone who has no idea what to do with it.
हात्तीको मुखमा जीरा
Hatti ko mukh maa jira.
A drop in the ocean.
A cumin seed in an elephant's mouth. Far too little to make any difference, like a drop in the ocean.
धोबीको कुकुर, घरको न घाटको
Dhobi ko kukur, ghar ko na ghat ko.
The washerman's dog belongs neither to the house nor to the riverbank. Someone who tries to belong to two places ends up belonging to neither.
Words, secrets and advice
रात राम्रो जुनले, मान्छे राम्रो गुनले
Raat ramro jun le, manchhe ramro gun le.
The night is beautiful because of the moon, a person because of their virtue. Character counts for more than looks.
एक कान दुई कान मैदान
Ek kaan dui kaan maidaan.
Ek jana laie kei kura vane paxi gau vari ka laie tyo kura bare thana hunxa.
One ear, two ears, then the open field. Once a secret has been passed to a second person, the whole village will soon know it.
एक कानले सुन्यो, अर्को कानले उडायो
Ek kaan le sunyo, arko kaan le udaayo.
Aru le vaneko ko kura hawa ma udaune.
Heard with one ear, blown out of the other. Advice that goes in one ear and out the other.
बोल्नेको पिठो बिक्छ, नबोल्नेको चामल पनि बिक्दैन
Bolne ko pitho bikchha, nabolne ko chaamal pani bikdaina
person who talks and socialize gains the upperhand
The one who speaks up sells even flour, the one who stays quiet cannot sell even rice. Rice is worth more than flour, so the point is that speaking up often matters more than quality.
झुटो बोल्नेले छिटो कसम खान्छ
Jhuto bolne le chhito kasam khaanchha.
A liar is quick to swear an oath. The faster someone swears they are telling the truth, the less you should believe them.
औषधी र उपदेश मीठो हुन्नँ
Ausadhi ra updadesh mitho hunna.
Aru le deko upadesh kasai laie ni ramro lagdaie na.
Medicine and advice are never sweet. Both are good for you and neither is pleasant to take.
आगो ताप्नु मुढाको कुरा, सुन्नु बुढाको
Aago taapnu muda ko kura sunnu buda ko
Acting rashly is the way of youth, listening wisely is the way of elders
Warm yourself at a log fire, listen to the words of the old. A thick log gives the steadiest heat, and an elder gives the steadiest advice.
Effort, patience and learning
अघिको तीतो पछिको मीठो
Aghi ko tito pachhi ko mitho.
It's hard at first, but will get better later
Bitter first, sweet later. Hard work and discipline taste bad at the start and pay off at the end.
प्रतिक्षाको फल मिठो हुन्छ
Pratiksha ko fal mitho hunchha.
The fruit of waiting is sweet. A plainer cousin of "good things come to those who wait."
पढेर भन्दा परेर जानिन्छ
Padera bhanda parera janinchha.
You learn more from going through something than from reading about it. Experience teaches what books cannot.
हुने बिरुवाको चिल्लो पात
Hune beruwa ko chillo paat.
The prodigies display talent from an early age
The plant that will grow has glossy leaves. Talent shows early, so you can often tell who will do well from how they start.
बाह्र बर्ष रामायण पढायो, सीता कस्की जोइ
Bahra barsha ramayan padaayo, sita kaski joi?
Taught the Ramayana for twelve years, then asked whose wife Sita was. Sita is the heroine of the whole epic, so the question shows nothing was learned. Teachers say it to students who missed the main point.
हरेस खाए नि चरेस नखानु
Hares khaaye ni charesh nakhaanu.
It's okay to idulge in bad habits but never give up on your life or the thing you are pursing
Lose your charas if you must, but never lose heart. A joke built on a rhyme (charas and hares, which means despair). Whatever else you give up, do not give up on yourself.
हिंडने गोरूले चुटाई खान्छ
Hidne goru le chutai khaanchha.
The ox that walks is the one that gets beaten. The one who works is the one who gets pushed and blamed, while the idle are left alone.
तैं रानी मै रानी, को भर्ला कुवाको पानी
Tai raani mai raani, ko bharlaa kuwa ko paani.
Who will do the work if nobody does nothing?
You are a queen and I am a queen, so who will fetch water from the well? When everyone acts too important for the work, nothing gets done.
Greed, foolishness and wanting too much
आकाशको फल आँखा तरी मर्
Aakas ko fal, aankha tari mar.
Do not desire what is beyond your reach
Stare at the fruit in the sky until you die. Wanting what you can never reach gets you nothing.
घाँटी हेरेर हाड निल्नु
Ghaati herera haad nilnu.
Look at your throat before swallowing a bone. Take on only what you can handle. It is also used to mean "live within your means."
विनाश काले विपरीत बुद्धि
Binaas kaale biparit buddhi
When ruin is near, the mind turns against itself. It comes from Sanskrit and is said when someone makes a string of terrible decisions just before a fall.
छुचुन्द्रोको टाउकोमा चमेलीको तेल
Chhuchundro ko tauko ma chameli ko tel.
Jasmine oil on a muskrat's head. Something fine wasted on someone who cannot appreciate it, close to "pearls before swine."
जुनकिरीको पिंधले स्वर्ग उज्यालो हुदैन
Junkiri ko pidh le swarga ujyaalo hudaina
A firefly's glow cannot light up heaven. A small effort cannot do a giant's job, and a small person's boasting changes nothing.
आँखा नदेख्ने नेत्रलाल, कान नसुन्ने कर्णकान्त
Aankha nadekhne netralaal kana nasunne karnakaanta
People who are unable or unwilling to perceive reality despite having the ability
Netralal who cannot see, Karnakanta who cannot hear. Both names mean something like "eyes" and "ears," so a big name does not guarantee the quality behind it.
हेर्दाको राम्रो, दिन खानको चाम्रो
Herda ko ramro dina khaana ko chamro
Action not backing up the things you are saying
Lovely to look at, stingy when it comes to giving. Someone whose generosity is all show.
हाती को दुइटा दात हुन्छ, एउटा खाने अर्को देखाउने
Haatti ko dui woata daant hunchha, euta khaane, arko dekhaaune.
Cruelty under politeness.
An elephant has two kinds of teeth, one for eating and one for showing. Hypocrisy: the face people show is not the one they act with.
Luck, timing and consequences
आज मर्यो, भोलि ओखति
Aaja maryo, bholi okhati.
What's done is done, no use dwelling on the past
Died today, medicine tomorrow. Help that arrives after the damage is done is useless.
घरै पोले पछि खरानीको के पिर
Gharai pole pachhi kharaani ko k pir.
Once the house has burned, why worry about the ashes? After a total loss, the small leftovers no longer matter.
नपत्याउने खोलाले बगाउँछ
Naptyaune khola le bagauchha.
The underestimate thing turns out to be a formidable force
The river you do not trust is the one that sweeps you away. What you underestimate does the most damage.
वारि खाल्डो, पारि भीर
Wari khaaldo, paari bhir.
A pit on this side, a cliff on the other. Every option is bad, much like "between a rock and a hard place."
बलेको आगोमा घिउ थप्नु
Baleko aago maa ghiu thapnu.
Pouring ghee on a burning fire. Making an angry situation worse, just like "adding fuel to the fire."
माझीले सल्लाह गर्दागर्दै सात गाउँ डुब्यो
Majhi le sallah garda gardai saat gaun dubyo.
While the boatmen were still discussing it, seven villages drowned. Too much talk and too little action. It is said about committees.
भाग्यमा छ भन्दैमा डोकोमा दुध दुहेर अडिँदैन
Bhagya ma chha bhandai maa doko maa dukh duhera adidaina.
Even if it is in your fate, milk will not stay in a basket. Luck does not replace the right tools or effort.
ढुंगा खोज्दा देउता मिल्नु
Dunga khojda deuta milnu.
To get something better while searching for something ordinary
Looking for a stone, finding a god. Something far better than you were searching for, by chance. It is the happy side of luck.
हात्ती आयो हात्ती आयो फुस्सा
Hatti aayo hatti aayo fussaa.
Not getting anything as expected or promised.
"The elephant is coming, the elephant is coming!" and then nothing. A big build-up that ends in disappointment.
Fitting in and getting along
अन्धाको देशमा आँखा छोप्नु, लङ्गडाको देशमा खुट्टा खोच्याउनु
Andhaa ko desh maa aankhaa chhopnu, langadaa ko desh maa khuttaa khochchyaunu.
Adapting to fit in with the prevailing environment and customs
In the land of the blind cover your eyes, in the land of the lame limp. Adapt to the place you are in. It is the Nepali "when in Rome."
खोलाको देशमा पानीको दुःख
Khola ko desh ma pani ko dukha.
A shortage of water in a land of rivers. Going without something that should be plentiful. It is often quoted about Nepal itself.
माझीको घर माछा उपहार
Majhi ko ghar machha upahar.
Gifting something one already has plenty of
A gift of fish to the fisherman's house. Bringing someone what they already have plenty of.
कानो गोरुलाई औंसी न पूर्णिमा
Kano goru lai aunshi na purnima.
Kaam garna naparni manxe laie sabai din ek naas hunxa.
To a one-eyed ox, new moon and full moon are the same. Someone with nothing to lose, or who cannot notice the difference, does not care either way.
लोग्ने स्वास्नीको झगडा परालको आगो
Logne swasni ko jhagada paraal ko aago.
Husband & wife's quarrel subsides in a short time.
A quarrel between husband and wife is a fire in straw. It blazes up fast and dies down just as fast, so outsiders should stay out of it.
आमाको माया आँखाको डिलमा
Ama ko maya ankha ko dil maa.
Mother's affection is inherent and taken for granted like the pupil that allows us to see
A mother's love sits at the rim of the eye. It is always there and always close, so it is easy to take for granted.
Self-reliance and good sense
अर्काको बुद्धिले राजा हुनुभन्दा आफ्नै बुद्धिले जोगी हुनु बेस
Arka ko buddhi le raja hunu bhanda afnai buddhi le jogi junu besh.
It is wiser to rely on one's own intellect than to depend on others' wisdom
Better a hermit by your own wisdom than a king by someone else's. Your own judgement is worth more than borrowed success.
जस्ले पैसालाई चिन्दैन, तेस्लाई पैसा ले पनी चिन्दैन
jasle paisa chindeina teslai paisa le chindeina
If you do not recognize the value of money, you will never have plenty of it.
Whoever does not know the value of money, money does not know either. If you treat money carelessly, it will not stay with you.
सुनलाई खोल लाउनु पर्दैन
Sun lai khol launu pardaina.
Something of greater value doesn't need to be looked after
Gold does not need a cover. Real quality does not need protecting or advertising.
रिसको झोकमा कसले बेद पढ्छ
Rish ko jhok maa kasle bed padchha
Who reads the Vedas in a fit of rage? Anger leaves no room for wisdom, so do not make decisions while angry.
अन्धाको हातमा टुकी
Andha ko hat ma tuki.
Empowering someone blindly without care for the hazardous potential consequences
A lamp in a blind man's hand. Giving something useful, or dangerous, to someone who cannot use it.
Using these in school and at home
Many of these turn up in Nepali textbooks and exams, where you may be asked to explain an ukhan or use one in a sentence. The meanings here are a guide, not a rule. The same line can be teasing in one house and sharp in another, and some have more than one reading. Where the dataset gives no meaning, the note above is our reading, and corrections are welcome through the About page.
For tips on fitting one into a sentence, see how to use a Nepali proverb. If you want English matches, Nepali proverbs and their English equivalents pairs them up. The full collection is on the proverbs page.