Likhit Exam Words You Will Meet in Nepali, and What They Actually Mean

The likhit paper is in Nepali, and so is every notice, name list and result your transport office (yatayat karyalaya, यातायात कार्यालय) publishes. If you studied in English, the words are the part that catches you out — not the road rules.

This is the vocabulary, grouped by where you will meet it. Learn the notice words first: those decide whether you find your own exam date.

Practising in Nepali beats translating in your head. Yatayat Likhit has the whole DOTM bank in both languages — free and offline.

The words on a notice

These are the ones worth knowing today, because your exam date and your result are published in them.

A typical trial notice reads: मिति २०८३ श्रावण ७ गते बिहिबार संचालन हुने वर्ग B को ट्रायल परीक्षाका परीक्षार्थीहरुको नामावली — the name list of candidates for the class B trial being held on Thursday, Shrawan 7, 2083. Where to find yours.

Nepali numerals

Dates are written in Devanagari digits. Ten characters, and they let you read every notice.

So २०८३ is 2083 and १५ is 15.

The licence process

Note that प्रतिलिपि does double duty: a duplicate licence, and a photocopy. Context tells you which. On a portal service list it means the duplicate.

Vehicle words, including "trailer"

People search for what these mean because the categories use them.

"Trailer" in the likhit means the towed unit behind a truck or tractor, not a vehicle you drive. Questions about it are usually about length, load, braking or which licence class may tow one — not about driving it as a category on its own.

Vehicle parts

The engine and maintenance section is where English-medium students lose marks, and it is almost entirely vocabulary.

Most are the English word written in Devanagari. Read them aloud and they usually give themselves away — which is why practising in Nepali script is worth an evening even if you think in English.

Road and rule words

Every traffic sign, by shape pairs with this table — the signs are visual, the names are here.

Question wording to watch

The bank phrases things in ways that catch people skimming.

कुन गलत हो is the one to slow down for. Negative wording appears often enough that reading the whole question is worth the seconds it costs.

How to learn these without a class

You do not need to learn Nepali. You need to recognise about sixty words.

1. Start with the notice table. Ten words, and they are the ones that tell you when your exam is.
2. Then the numerals. Ten characters.
3. Then read the question bank in Nepali rather than English, even if you check the English alongside. The words repeat constantly, so recognition comes quickly.
4. Say the parts aloud. Most are English loanwords in Devanagari.

That is exactly why I built Yatayat Likhit with both languages side by side: you can read a question in Nepali, check yourself against the English, and get the reason for the answer in either. It also has the whole 500-question DOTM bank, timed mocks in the exam format, the Nepali road signs and an Ishihara-style colour-vision test. Free and offline, for A, K and B.

Get it: Yatayat Likhit — free on iPhone and Android. The link opens your own app store.

Words you will hear at the counter

Spoken, not written, but they save a confused conversation.

"तयार भएको छैन" about your smart card means it has not been printed, which is usually a matter of waiting rather than a problem.

Questions people ask

What does "likhit" mean?

लिखित (likhit) means "written". The likhit pariksha is the written exam, as opposed to the trial, which is the practical one.

What does "yatayat" mean?

यातायात (yatayat) means transport. The yatayat karyalaya is the transport office, which is where you apply, sit both exams and collect your licence.

What does "trailer" mean in the likhit exam?

ट्रेलर is the towed unit behind a truck or tractor, with no engine of its own. Exam questions about it concern load, length, braking and which class may tow one — not driving it as a category.

What is "pratilipi"?

प्रतिलिपि means duplicate. On a province portal it is the service for replacing a lost or damaged licence; in an office it can also just mean a photocopy.

Is the likhit exam available in English?

The official paper is in Nepali. Practise in Nepali so the wording is familiar, even if you study the reasoning in English.

What does "uttirna" mean on a result notice?

उत्तीर्ण means passed. अनुत्तीर्ण means failed. Both appear at the top of result lists.

Keep reading

• Where results and dates are published — the notices these words appear in.
• What the question bank asks — the seven topics.
• Every traffic sign, by shape — the visual half.
• नेपालीमा: यातायात फारम कसरी भर्ने — the form guide in Nepali.
• A two-week study plan — where vocabulary fits in.