Languages · Profile
शेर्पा
Sherpa
The language of the Sherpa people of the Everest region, of monastic chanting and mountain village song.
117,896
mother tongue speakers in Nepal (2021 census)
0.40%
of Nepal's population
Tibeto-Burman (Tibetic)
language family
Tibetan, Devanagari
script
In Nepal
Where it is spoken
Language of the high Himalaya
Solukhumbu and the high valleys of Sankhuwasabha, Dolakha, Ramechhap and Rasuwa.
KoshiBagmati
Beyond Nepal
Who else speaks it
- India: Communities in Sikkim and Darjeeling
- Tibet (China): Related Tibetan communities
- Diaspora: A notable community in New York
The Dehat
Our work in Sherpa
Sherpa ritual music and mountain oral traditions.
Speak Sherpa, or know someone who does? We want to hear your stories.
ContributeSources: National Population and Housing Census 2021, Nepal (mother tongue); Census of India 2011. Figures for small and endangered languages are estimates.