Signification
Writing correspondence
Contexte culturel
Letters are often started with religious or respectful invocations like 'Shree' or 'Pujaniya' (Worshipful) for elders. The physical letter is often touched to the forehead as a sign of respect if it comes from a parent. For the 'Lahure' (soldiers), letters were the only way to send news of their safety. There are many folk songs (Lok Dohori) dedicated to the pain of waiting for a letter that never arrives. In cities like Kathmandu, 'Chitthi' is becoming rare, replaced by social media. However, for 'Dashain' (the biggest festival), sending physical cards is still a prestigious and warm gesture. In Nepali government offices, everything moves via 'Chitthi'. A formal request (Nivedan) is essentially a letter that must be 'registered' (Darta) to be processed.
Use '-lai'
Always use the '-lai' particle for the person receiving the letter (e.g., Sathi-lai).
Past Tense Trap
Don't forget 'Maile' instead of 'Ma' when saying 'I wrote'.
Signification
Writing correspondence
Use '-lai'
Always use the '-lai' particle for the person receiving the letter (e.g., Sathi-lai).
Past Tense Trap
Don't forget 'Maile' instead of 'Ma' when saying 'I wrote'.
Formal vs Informal
Use 'Patra' if you want to sound very educated or if you are writing to a government official.
Handwriting Matters
In Nepal, good handwriting (Ramro Akshar) in a 'Chitthi' is highly praised and seen as a sign of a good education.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'lekhnu' in the present tense.
म साथीलाई चिठ्ठी _______।
'म' (I) takes the verb ending '-chu' in the present tense.
Which sentence is grammatically correct in the past tense?
Choose the correct sentence:
Past tense of 'lekhnu' requires the '-le' marker on the subject 'Ma'.
Match the Nepali phrase with its English translation.
Match the following:
These are basic collocations related to 'Chitthi'.
Complete the dialogue.
राम: तिमी के गर्दैछौ? श्याम: म बुबालाई _______।
The context of 'writing to father' fits best with 'Chitthi lekdaichu'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Chitthi vs. Email
Types of Letters
Personal
- • Family
- • Friends
- • Love
Formal
- • Job
- • School
- • Government
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesम साथीलाई चिठ्ठी _______।
'म' (I) takes the verb ending '-chu' in the present tense.
Choose the correct sentence:
Past tense of 'lekhnu' requires the '-le' marker on the subject 'Ma'.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are basic collocations related to 'Chitthi'.
राम: तिमी के गर्दैछौ? श्याम: म बुबालाई _______।
The context of 'writing to father' fits best with 'Chitthi lekdaichu'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, you can, although 'Postcard Lekhnu' is also common. 'Chitthi' is a general term for any written correspondence.
Nepali nouns do not have grammatical gender that affects the verb in modern standard speech, so you don't need to worry about it!
You would say 'म आफैलाई चिठ्ठी लेख्छु' (Ma aaphailai chitthi lekhchu).
The word is 'Kham' (खाम).
In rural areas, it is decreasing but still exists. In cities, it's mostly for formal/legal purposes or special occasions.
'Lekhnu' is the dictionary form/informal, while 'Lekhnu-hos' is the polite/formal imperative.
Yes, if you are typing it on a computer or typewriter, you can say 'Type Garnu'.
Common sign-offs include 'तपाईंको छोरा' (Your son) or 'उही तिम्रो साथी' (The same friend of yours).
Rarely. It sounds a bit stiff or like a news broadcast. Stick to 'Chitthi'.
It's a collective noun meaning 'letters and correspondence' in general.
Expressions liées
पत्र लेख्नु
synonymTo write a letter (formal)
इमेल लेख्नु
similarTo write an email
चिठ्ठी पठाउनु
builds onTo send a letter
डायरी लेख्नु
similarTo write a diary
खबर पठाउनु
similarTo send news
