छाड्नुस्
Leave me alone, please
Chhāḍnus
Safety
For solo women travelers
Solo female traveler Nepali — confidence, not caution
Nepal ranks as a generally safe destination for solo women in nearly every credible regional index, including UN Women's South Asia assessments. The phrases on this page are not warnings — they are a toolkit. Memorize them the way you'd memorize a fire escape: probably you'll never use them; the confidence of preparation is itself a deterrent.
The top ten phrases — in priority order
Three-tier escalation framework: polite refusal, firm "chhadnus," police-line maximum. Plus the kinship address, hotel safety, and female-service requests. Tap any to open the full pronunciation page.
- Leave me alone, pleaseछाड्नुस्Chhāḍnus
- Please do not touch meकृपया मलाई नछुनुहोस्Kripayā malāī nachhunuhos
- I am going to call the policeम पुलिसलाई फोन गर्छुMa pulislāī phon garchhu
- Didi, can you help me?दिदी, मलाई सहयोग गर्नुहुन्छ?Didi, malāī sahayog garnuhunchha?
- I am waiting for my husbandम मेरो श्रीमानको लागि पर्खिरहेकी छुMa mero shrīmānko lāgi parkhirahekī chhu
- Please change my room — the lock is brokenमेरो कोठा बदलिदिनुस्Mero koṭhā badalidinus
- Is there a female doctor?के महिला डाक्टर हुनुहुन्छ?Ke mahilā ḍākṭar hunuhunchha?
- I need a female guideमलाई महिला गाइड चाहिन्छMalāī mahilā guide chāhinchha
- Can you call a female taxi?के महिला चालकको ट्याक्सी बोलाइदिनुहुन्छ?Ke mahilā chālakko ṭyāksī bolāidinuhunchha?
- Is this guesthouse safe for a woman alone?के यो गेस्टहाउस एकल महिलाको लागि सुरक्षित छ?Ke yo guesthouse ekal mahilāko lāgi surakṣit chha?
The "didi" address — your fastest safety tool
Addressing any older Nepali woman as "didi" (दिदी — older sister) shifts the social register from "tourist" to "young woman in kin-based relationship." Spoken at a shopkeeper, a fellow bus passenger, or any nearby Nepali woman, it instantly invokes female solidarity that older women instinctively respond to.
If you're being pestered and need help, look around for any older Nepali woman. Walk toward her. Say "Didi" — and the situation rotates. The mechanism is older than tourism; it works.
A note on chhaupadi (far-western rural travel)
In far-western Nepal (Karnali and Sudur Pashchim provinces — Jumla, Achham, Bajura, Bajhang), the rural menstruation taboo "chhaupadi" still exists in pockets. Urban Nepal — Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini — is unaffected. If you trek through rural Karnali, the dedicated chhaupadi culture guide covers what to expect and how to deflect with grace.
Hotel-room safety — pre-empt before pestering
Pre-empt rather than react. Look for hotels that explicitly market to solo women. Request a room above the second floor with a working deadbolt and peephole — test the lock before bringing the bag up. Use "mero koṭhā badalidinus" (please change my room) without hesitation if anything feels off — hotels rarely push back. The social cost to them of a complaint is high.
Female guides, porters, and the Pokhara option
3 Sisters Adventure Trekking in Pokhara is the longest-running women-only trekking agency in Nepal — founded in 1994, training female guides and porters. Several Kathmandu agencies now also field female guides on request. Sakha Cab is the women-only ride-hail service in Kathmandu; Pathao offers a female-driver filter in some zones. Book well in advance — supply is limited.
Featured dialogue: the three-tier escalation, in real time
A real Thamel alley exchange — polite "pardaina dhanyabad," firm "chhadnus," and the maximum "I will call the police" line. Audio on every line.
Read the dialogueFull safety phrase reference
म मेरो श्रीमानको लागि पर्खिरहेकी छु
I am waiting for my husband
Ma mero shrīmānko lāgi parkhirahekī chhu
मलाई महिला गाइड चाहिन्छ — के सम्भव छ?
I need a female guide — is that possible?
Malāī mahilā guide chāhinchha — ke sambhav chha?
मेरो कोठा बदलिदिनुस् — ताल्चा बिग्रिएको छ
Please change my room — the lock is broken
Mero koṭhā badalidinus — tālchā bigrieko chha
के महिला डाक्टर हुनुहुन्छ?
Is there a female doctor?
Ke mahilā ḍākṭar hunuhunchha?
कृपया मलाई नछुनुहोस्
Please do not touch me
Kripayā malāī nachhunuhos
म पुलिसलाई फोन गर्छु
I am going to call the police
Ma pulislāī phon garchhu
दिदी, के तपाईंले मलाई सहयोग गर्न सक्नुहुन्छ?
Didi, can you help me?
Didi, ke tapā̱īle malāī sahayog garna saknuhunchha?
के यो गेस्टहाउस एकल महिलाको लागि सुरक्षित छ?
Is this guesthouse safe for a woman alone?
Ke yo guesthouse ekal mahilāko lāgi surakṣit chha?
के तपाईंले महिला चालकको ट्याक्सी बोलाइदिनुहुन्छ?
Can you call a female taxi?
Ke tapā̱īle mahilā chālakko ṭyāksī bolāidinuhunchha?
Sources
- UN Women — South Asia Regional Office, Women's Safety Index regional briefings.
- Nepal Tourism Board — Tourist Police 1144 hotline and station distribution.
- 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, Pokhara — women's-only guide training and program history.
- Department of Immigration, Government of Nepal — Tourism Police Act 2008 protections.