Newar (English: /nəˈwɑːr/; 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵, nepāla bhāṣā) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, a name that has been historically used for the language. The term "Newari" is also used to refer to the language, although the Indic -i suffix is considered inappropriate by some Newar speakers.
An early form of Newar appears in Sanskrit stone inscriptions from the time of the Licchavis. Texts written entirely in Newar emerged during the medieval period and the language was given the status of national language of Nepal by Jayasthiti Malla. Newar during this period was consistently referred as "nepāla bhāṣā", a term which literally means "Nepalese Language". It is distinct from the Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language which replaced Newar as the national langauge after the conquest of Nepal by the Shah Dynasty, only adopting the name Nepali in the 1930s. From the start of the Rana dynasty in the 1840s until democratisation, Newar suffered from official suppression. From 1952 to 1991, the percentage of Newar speakers in the Kathmandu Valley dropped from 75% to 44% and today Newar culture and language are under threat. Today, the language has been listed as "Definitely endangered" by UNESCO.