Which one is correct ?

I am Nepali or I am Nepalese !!

Nepalese because Nepali describes Khas and their language, where as Nepalese describes anyone from Nepal not not any particular ethnic group.

I think both are correct and they can be used interchangeably. British use Nepalese to refer people of Nepal but both forms can be used interchangeably without the loss of meaning.

BornTobeWild bro using it interchangeably is wrong, because it really does mean what I said and the British say it because its true and politically correct. British are the only people who know more about our country than any country around the world.
Also in today's Nepal political context it is better to be politically correct.

'Nepalese' is the english term for 'Nepali'.

told ya 2 weeks ago...its nepalese..........

American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam Webster Dictionary both have the same definitions:

Nepali n. pl. Nepalis

1. A native or inhabitant of Nepal.


Nep·al·ese n. pl. Nepalese

1. A native or inhabitant of Nepal.


Again, I don't see what's the big deal. Use whichever one you want.

Contrary to what most people think, Nepalese is not an english term for Nepali. Both are valid english words.

end of story, dictionary said it all

(if its really there)

Nepali ma bhanda Nepali, Angreji ma bhanda Nepalese...
like, hindi bhanda bharati, Angrejima bhanu parda, Indian....

It's contestable both ways. Some would argue that they're different, but I would say most people outside Nepal only use "Nepalese" and it sounds correct to them. For most Nepalis (I could say Nepalese here!), we grew up calling ourselves 'Nepali' so we would rather use this word.

Since both words have been in use as both adjectives and nouns, I would say they're interchangeable.

In any case, I would rather call myself a Nepali.

Let me share my opinion.

I am a Nepali. But when foreigners refered to all people (Nepalis) of nepal .... they probably used the term Nepalese or Nepalis.
pachi 'Nepalis' "apabhramsha" bhayera ''Nepalese' bhako huna sakcha.

It is same as 'an indian believes' and 'Indians believe'

Both should be correct .... and in todays world not every word could be found in the dictionary.

I doubt if 'Nepalese' came from 'Nepalis'. In English, it's just like saying Bhutanese or Sudanese or Chinese or any other ..ese, don't you think?

Arre o babua,
Hum bhi nepalese he re! Kaa halak re babua? Sab thiko chho?
Jaya bajranga bali.

guys dont confuse...
"nepali" is not an english word. its nepali word. so if you speak in nepali,, "ma nepali ho" is correct. if in english, " I am nepalese" is correct.
chat garne bani le bigareko matra ho.....see how i wrote nepali sentence in english???
hehehe thats it!

People do use "Nepali" in English as well. You can find it in the dictionary. But Nepali is most often used by the Nepalese or people who know Nepal more.