Signification
Wearing footwear.
Contexte culturel
Shoes are never worn inside the house, especially in the kitchen or prayer room (puja kotha). This is to maintain the purity of the living space. Before entering a temple or any sacred shrine, you must remove your shoes. There is usually a designated area or a person who looks after the shoes. When a guest is leaving, the host might bring the guest's shoes to the door as a gesture of respect and to signal a smooth departure. In many rural areas, people traditionally wore 'Docha' (handmade wool/leather boots) or went barefoot. Modern shoes are now common but still highly valued.
The 'Universal' Verb
Master 'lagaunu' and you can talk about wearing clothes, hats, glasses, and even perfume!
The Temple Rule
Always look for a pile of shoes near a door in Nepal—that's your cue to take yours off.
Signification
Wearing footwear.
The 'Universal' Verb
Master 'lagaunu' and you can talk about wearing clothes, hats, glasses, and even perfume!
The Temple Rule
Always look for a pile of shoes near a door in Nepal—that's your cue to take yours off.
Respecting Elders
Never point the soles of your shoes (or feet) at an elder or a sacred object after you've put them on.
Colloquialism
Use 'launu' instead of 'lagaunu' to sound more like a local in Kathmandu.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'lagaunu'.
म अहिले जुत्ता _______ छु। (I am putting on shoes right now.)
The sentence indicates a continuous action ('right now'), so 'lagāundai' is correct.
Which sentence is culturally appropriate when entering a Nepali home?
घरभित्र पस्दा के गर्नुपर्छ?
You must take off (fukālnu) your shoes, not put them on (lagāunu), when entering a home.
Match the Nepali phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are the core vocabulary pairs for this lesson.
Complete the dialogue.
आमा: बाबु, बाहिर जाऔँ। छोरा: पख्नुस् आमा, म _______।
The context is going outside, so putting on shoes is the most logical response.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Shoes: In vs Out
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesम अहिले जुत्ता _______ छु। (I am putting on shoes right now.)
The sentence indicates a continuous action ('right now'), so 'lagāundai' is correct.
घरभित्र पस्दा के गर्नुपर्छ?
You must take off (fukālnu) your shoes, not put them on (lagāunu), when entering a home.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the core vocabulary pairs for this lesson.
आमा: बाबु, बाहिर जाऔँ। छोरा: पख्नुस् आमा, म _______।
The context is going outside, so putting on shoes is the most logical response.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsYes! 'Moja lagaunu' is the correct phrase for wearing socks.
'Launu' is just a shorter, more casual version of 'lagaunu'. They mean the same thing.
Only in the past tense if the verb is treated as transitive, e.g., 'मैले जुत्ता लगाएँ' (Maile jutta lagāeñ).
It can be both. Context tells you if it's one shoe or a pair.
You say 'जुत्ता फुकाल्नुहोस्' (Jutta fukāunuhos).
In Nepal, the kitchen is a sacred space where food (which is life) is prepared. Shoes bring in dirt and 'impurity' from the street.
Yes! 'Makeup lagaunu' is very common.
You can say 'chappal lagaunu'.
Yes, 'fitta badhnu' or 'fitta kasnu'.
Usually no. Most people use indoor slippers or go barefoot/in socks.
You ask 'जुत्ता कहाँ राखूँ?' (Jutta kahāñ rākhūñ?)
Yes, though you can specify 'boot' (बुट) if you want to be precise.
Expressions liées
जुत्ता फुकाल्नु
contrastTo take off shoes
लुगा लगाउनु
similarTo wear clothes
चप्पल लगाउनु
specialized formTo wear slippers
मोजा लगाउनु
builds onTo wear socks
जुत्ता पालिस गर्नु
specialized formTo polish shoes
