Writing an amount on a cheque in Nepal
Nepali cheques ask for the amount in figures and in words. Banks expect the words to match the figure exactly and to end with Only (मात्र) so nothing can be added later. For Rs 1,25,000.50, write “Rupees One Lakh Twenty-Five Thousand and Fifty Paisa Only” or “एक लाख पच्चीस हजार रुपैयाँ पचास पैसा मात्र”.
Lakh and crore
Nepal groups large numbers in twos after the first thousand: 1,00,000 is one lakh (a hundred thousand), 1,00,00,000 is one crore (ten million). After crore come arab (100 crore), kharab, neel, padma and shankha.
| Nepali | Name | Figure | International |
|---|---|---|---|
| सय | Saya | 100 | Hundred |
| हजार | Hajar | 1,000 | Thousand |
| लाख | Lakh | 1,00,000 | Hundred thousand |
| करोड | Crore | 1,00,00,000 | Ten million |
| अरब | Arab | 1,00,00,00,000 | Billion |
| खरब | Kharab | 1,00,00,00,00,000 | Hundred billion |
Questions
Can I type Nepali digits?
Yes. १२५००० works the same as 125000, and commas are ignored.
How are decimals handled?
For cheques, the first two decimal places become paisa. In the plain word forms, each digit after the point is read out one by one.
What is the largest number?
Up to 19 digits before the decimal point, which reaches shankha.