Kirantish languages

Also known as: Bahing-Vayu languages

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June 30, 2026

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The Kiranti languages are a group of Tibeto-Burman dialects spoken primarily in eastern Nepal. These languages are part of the Himalayish group within the broader Tibeto-Burman family. The Himalayish group also includes Bodic languages like Tibetan, as well as Kanauri-Manchad, Lepcha, and Newar.12

The study of Tibeto-Burman languages in Nepal has seen significant progress, particularly concerning the Tamang-Gurung-Thakali-Manang group, Kham-Magar, Chepang, Sunwar, and the Kiranti languages. The Kiranti languages are among the westernmost languages in the Tibeto-Burman family and generally retain prefixes and initial consonant clusters.2

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Sino-Tibetan languages
Classification
(such as Bodish, Himalayish, Kirantish, Burmish, Kachinish, and Kukish) should be considered as the classificatory peaks around which other Sino-Tibetan languages group themselves as members or more or less distant relatives. Certainly the stage has not yet been reached in which definite boundaries can be laid down and ancestral…
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(such as Bodish, Himalayish, Kirantish, Burmish, Kachinish, and Kukish) should be considered as the classificatory peaks around which other Sino-Tibetan languages group themselves as members or more or less distant relatives. Certainly the stage has not yet been reached in which definite boundaries can be laid down and ancestral…
Read More