Days and months in Nepali

A Nepali week has seven days, and the names are easy to learn because each one is built from a word for a planet plus -बार (day). Sunday is आइतबार, Monday is सोमबार, Tuesday is मङ्गलबार, Wednesday is बुधबार, Thursday is बिहिबार, Friday is शुक्रबार, and Saturday is शनिबार. In short form, Nepalis often drop the -बार: आइत, सोम, मङ्गल, बुध, बिहि, शुक्र, शनि.

The names line up neatly with the system used across Nepal's cities: आइतबार is the first day of the week in most Nepali calendars and in publication schedules, whereas the international week begins on Monday (सोमबार). Government offices commonly print notices as 'यो कार्यालय आइतबार देखि शनिबार सम्म खुल्छ' meaning open Sunday to Saturday.

Months in Nepali have double identity because two calendars are in daily use. The civil month names belong to Bikram Sambat: Baisakh, Jestha, Ashadh, Shrawan, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartik, Mangsir, Poush, Magh, Falgun and Chaitra. The Nepali name for each is simply the standard consonant: बैशाख, जेठ, अषाढ, श्रावण, भाद्र, आश्विन, कार्तिक, मंसिर, पौष, माघ, फागुन, चैत्र.

The two calendars overlap — Baisakh 1, 2083 BS maps to April 14, 2026 AD, and this calendar shows both dates on every day. For festivals and holidays, Nepalis quote the BS date (e.g., दशैं असोज महिनामा) because official holidays are set in BS, making these month names the ones you will use most in daily conversation.