Top Prepositions in Nepali You Must Know!

Grammar Essentials · Prepositions

Nepali Prepositions Guide

Master Words That Show Relationships · Language Learning Resources

Master Nepali prepositions and unlock the ability to describe relationships, locations, directions, and connections in your sentences! Prepositions are the bridges that connect words together, showing how nouns and pronouns relate to each other. From talking about where something is located to expressing movement and time, prepositions are essential for fluent, natural-sounding Nepali.

Grammar Foundation Tip: — Prepositions show relationships. They answer questions like “Where?” “When?” “With whom?” and “How?” Master them, and your Nepali becomes far more expressive.

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun and pronoun and other words in a sentence. Prepositions help us describe location, direction, time, manner, and relationships. In Nepali, prepositions follow specific patterns and work with case markers to convey meaning precisely.

Activity 1 — 18 Essential Prepositions

Core Prepositions for Everyday Use

These 18 prepositions are the most frequently used in Nepali conversations. Learn their forms and understand what relationships they express.

English	Romanized Nepali	नेपाली	Relationship Type
At	Maa, Sthith	मा, स्थित	Location
In	Bhitra	भित्र	Location (inside)
On	Maathi	माथि	Location (on top)
To	Tarfa, Laai	तर्फ, लाई	Direction
For	Ko laagi	को लाई	Purpose
With	Sanga	सँग	Companionship
About	Baarema	बारेमा	Topic
By	Dwaaraa, Chheuma	द्वारा, छेउमा	Agent
From	Bata	बाता	Source
Of	Ko	को	Possession
Over	Maathibata	माथिबाता	Location (above)
Under	Muni	मुनि	Location (below)
Between	Bichma	बिचमा	Location (middle)
Into	Bhitra (prabesh gardai)	भित्र (प्रबेश गर्दै)	Movement (inward)
Onto	Maathi	माथि	Movement (upward)
Out	Baahira	बाहिरा	Location (outside)
After	Pachhi	पछी	Time
Before	Aaghi	अगि	Time
Around	Waripari	वरिपरि	Direction (circular)
Through	Bhitra hudai / baato bhayera	भित्र हुदै / बाटो भयेरा	Movement (passage)

📍 Preposition Categories:

Location: Maa, Bhitra, Maathi, Muni, Waripari, Bichma — where something is.

Direction: Tarfa, Laai, Into, Onto, Baahira — where something is going.

Time: Pachhi, Aaghi — when something happens.

Relationship: Sanga, Dwaaraa, Bata, Ko, Baarema — how things relate to each other.

What’s the difference between “Maa” (at) and “Bhitra” (in)? Can you create a sentence for each?

Group the prepositions: Organize them by the four categories (Location, Direction, Time, Relationship).

Practice pronunciation: Say each preposition aloud, paying attention to vowel and stress patterns.

Activity 2 — Prepositions in Context

16 Real-World Sentences

See how prepositions function in authentic sentences. Each example shows a different preposition in action, with clear meaning and practical applications.

Location & Position

English	Romanized Nepali	नेपाली
She is at the bus stop.	Uh bus stop ma chhe.	उह बस स्टप मा छे।
The keys are in the drawer.	Chabiharu daraz bhitra chhan.	चाबीहरु दराज भित्र छन्।
The book is on the table.	Kitab table maathi chhan.	किताब टेबल माथि छन्।
The cat is hiding under the bed.	Biraalo khaat muni lukeko chha.	बिरालो खाट मुनि लुकेको छ।
The bank is between the school and post office.	Bank school ra post office ko bichma chha.	बैंक स्कुल र पोस्ट अफिस को बिचमा छ।

Direction & Movement

English	Romanized Nepali	नेपाली
He is going to the store.	Uh pasal tarfa jaadaichha.	उह पसल तर्फ जादैछ।
She walked into the room.	Uni kotha bhitra pasin.	उनी कोठा भित्र पसिन्।
He jumped onto the platform.	Uh platform maathi ham falyo.	उह प्लेटफर्म माथि हाम फलयो।
He went out for a walk.	Uh hidna baahira gayo.	उह हिँड्न बाहिरा गयो।
They walked around the park.	Uniharule park waripari hidey.	उनीहरुले पार्क वरिपरि हिदे।
The car drove through the tunnel.	Gaadi surung bhitra hudaai gayo.	गाडी सुरुङ्ग भित्र हुदाई गयो।

Relationships & Time

English	Romanized Nepali	नेपाली
This gift is for you.	Yo upahar timilaai ho.	यो उपहार तिमीलाई हो।
She came with her brother.	Uni afna daaju sanga aayin.	उनी आफना दाजु सँग आइन्।
We talked about the project.	Haamile project ko baarema kuraakani garyou.	हामीले प्रजेक्ट को बारेमा कुराकानी गर्यो।
The painting was done by an Italian artist.	Yo chitra ek Italian kalakaar dwaaraa banaiyeko ho.	यो चित्र एक इटालियन कलाकार द्वारा बनाइएको हो।
I received a letter from my friend.	Maile mero saathi bata chithhi paaye.	मैले मेरो साथी बाता चिट्ठी पाए।
The color of the sky is beautiful.	Aaakaash ko rang sundar chha.	आकाश को रङ सुन्दर छ।
The plane flew over the sky.	Jahaj sahar maathibata udyo.	जहाज सहर माथिबाता उड्यो।
We’ll eat after the movie.	Haami chalchitra pachhi khaana khanechhaun.	हामी चलचित्र पछी खाना खाने छौ।
Finish your homework before dinner.	Khaanaa agdi grihakarya sakaau.	खाना अगि गृहकार्य साकाउ।

✓ Grammar Insight:

Notice how prepositions work with case markers (ko, laai, bata, etc.). Nepali prepositions often combine with case markers to create precise meaning. This is different from English where prepositions stand alone. Understanding this relationship is key to correct preposition usage.

Analyze the patterns: Look at the sentences and identify which prepositions combine with which case markers.

Create your own sentences: Write three sentences using prepositions you haven’t seen in these examples.

Transformation exercise: Take one location sentence and transform it into a direction sentence using a different preposition.

Activity 3 — Common Preposition Combinations

Prepositions + Case Markers

In Nepali, prepositions often work together with case markers to create complete meanings. Understanding these combinations will help you use prepositions correctly in any context.

📝 Location Combinations

Maa (at): “Table maa” = on the table. Used with nominative case for general location.

Bhitra (in): “Ghar bhitra” = inside the house. Shows location inside something.

Maathi (on): “Uchako maathi” = on top. Shows position on the surface of something.

🔄 Direction Combinations

Tarfa (towards): “Pasal tarfa” = toward the shop. Shows direction to somewhere.

Baata (from): “Ghar baata” = from home. Shows source or starting point.

Bhitra (into): “Kotha bhitra pasin” = walked into the room. Shows movement inward.

👥 Relationship Combinations

Sanga (with): “Sathi sanga” = with a friend. Shows companionship, togetherness.

Ko laagi (for): “Timi ko laagi” = for you. Combined with possessive case marker.

Baarema (about): “Katha baarema” = about the story. Shows topic of discussion.

⏰ Time Combinations

Pachhi (after): “Khana pachhi” = after eating. Shows sequence in time.

Aaghi (before): “Khana aghi” = before eating. Shows prior time sequence.

Ko dwaaraa (by/through): “Kalakaar dwaaraa” = by the artist. Shows agent or means.

💡 Mastery Tip:

The key to preposition mastery is recognizing that each preposition carries specific meaning about relationships. Instead of memorizing isolated words, learn prepositions in the context of complete phrases. Say “table maathi” (on the table) not just “maathi.” This helps your brain understand both the preposition and its proper use.

Compare prepositions: What’s the difference between using “maa” vs. “bhitra”? When would you use each one?

Build sentences: Create a sentence using “sanga” (with), one using “baata” (from), and one using “dwaaraa” (by).

Describe your surroundings: Use five different prepositions to describe the location of items around you right now.

Summary

Preposition Mastery Principles

Prepositions are the glue that holds sentences together. Master these 18 prepositions and you’ll dramatically improve your ability to express complex ideas in Nepali.

Principle 01 Location Matters Learn maa, bhitra, maathi, muni, bichma to express where something is precisely.	Principle 02 Direction & Movement Use tarfa, baata, bhitra, onto, waripari to show how things move and travel.
Principle 03 Relationships & Meaning Master sanga, baarema, dwaaraa, ko to express how people and things relate.	Principle 04 Time Sequences Use pachhi, aaghi to discuss order of events and time relationships.

📋 Preposition Categories Quick Reference

Location	Maa • Bhitra • Maathi • Muni • Bichma • Waripari
Direction	Tarfa • Laai • Baata • Into • Onto • Baahira
Relationship	Sanga • Dwaaraa • Ko laagi • Baarema • Ko
Time	Pachhi • Aaghi • Maathibata