Family is one of the most gently teasing subjects in Nepali proverbs. They are rarely sentimental. Instead they notice small truths: who does the cooking, whose mind is on what, and who turns up when it matters. Here are the family proverbs in the collection, grouped by what they are observing.
One saying, many versions
The most repeated idea in the collection is that a parent's heart is on their children while a child's heart is somewhere else entirely. Because proverbs pass by ear, this one survives in several versions, each swapping in a different punchline. Reading them side by side is a good way to see how an ukhan changes as it is retold.
आमा बाबुको मन छोरा छोरी माथि, छोरा छोरीको मन डिङगो जुत्ता माथि
Aama baabu ko man chhora chhori mathi, chhora chori ko man dingo juttaa maathi.
Parental love is unconditional while children tend to be more self-centered in their interests
A parent's heart is on their children, a child's heart is on dingo juttaa, showy shoes. The child's attention drifts to fashion.
आमा बाबुलाई समस्या टार्न गार्हो, छोराछोरीलाई भने स्टाईल नै प्यारो
Aamaa baabu lai samasya taarna gahro, chhora chhori lai bhane style nai pyaaro.
Parental love is unconditional while children tend to be more self-centered in their interests
A modern-sounding variant: parents struggle to solve problems while the children care only about style. The same joke, updated.
आमा-बाबा को मन छोरा तिर, छोरा को मन अर्काको छोरी तिर
Aama baba ko man chhora tira, chhora ko man arka ko chhori tira.
Parental love is unconditional while children tend to be more self-centered in their interests
Here the son's heart is with someone else's daughter. The teasing is the same, with a different distraction.
आमाबाबुको मन छोराछोरी माथि छोराछोरीको मन ढुंगामुढा माथि
Aamaa baabu ko man chhoraachhori maathi choraa chhori ko man dhungaa mudaa maathi.
Parental love is unconditional while children tend to be more self-centered in their interests
In this version a child's mind is on stones and clods of earth, in other words on play and trifles. Four variants, one observation: parents give more attention than they get back.
Roles inside the household
आमा पनि ब्युटी छोरि पनि ब्युटी बाउले गर्नु पर्ने चुलाको ड्युटी
Ama pani beauty, chori pani beauty, bau le garnu parne chula ko duty.
Everyone has their own responsibilities and do their duties
A newer, playful rhyme that borrows the English words beauty and duty. Mother and daughter both busy being beautiful, and father is left with the kitchen. It is a joke about everyone having their own job.
आमा–छोराको ऐंचोपैंचो, बाबु–छोराको लेनदेन
Aamaa-chhoraa ko aicho paicho, baabu-chhoraa ko len den.
Relationship between mother and child is based on affection, while between father and child it is more transactional
Aicho-paicho is the word for borrowing and lending between people. The proverb says a mother and child are bound by affection, while a father and child have something closer to a ledger. It is an observation about how parents often differ, not a rule.
आयूको छोरालाई वायूको डर
Aayu ko choora lai baayu ko dar.
Caution for son on how society and friends can influence him.
A warning aimed at a son: be careful of the influence of society and friends. The wording is old and a little opaque, so the collection's meaning is worth reading alongside it.
Who counts when it matters
आयो गयो माया मोह, आएन गएन को हो को हो
Aayo gayo maya moha, aayena gayena ko ho ko ho.
Family/friends who have always been there matter the most
Affection comes and goes, but if you did not come and go, who are you? The proverb values the relatives and friends who were always there, over those who appear only when it suits them.
Why these still land
Nobody is flattered in these proverbs, and that is why they work. They say something true about parents and children that each generation recognises from both sides. If you know another variant of the first group, or the meaning behind one that is unclear, the About page explains how to send a correction.