Nepal Army officer ranks (अधिकृत दर्जा)
Officer ranks from highest to lowest, as listed on the official Nepali Army rank structure. Click a rank to see its full salary, grades and in-hand pay.
| # | English | Nepali (नेपाली) | Starting basic (2083/84) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General (Chief of the Army Staff) | महारथी (प्रधानसेनापति)Maharathi / Pradhan Senapati | Rs 84,932 |
| 2 | Lieutenant General | रथीRathi | – |
| 3 | Major General | उपरथीUparathi | – |
| 4 | Brigadier General | सहायक रथीSahayak Rathi | – |
| 5 | Colonel | महासेनानीMahasenani | – |
| 6 | Lieutenant Colonel | प्रमुख सेनानीPramukh Senani | Rs 57,507 |
| 7 | Major | सेनानीSenani | Rs 53,611 |
| 8 | Captain | सह-सेनानीSaha-Senani | Rs 51,929 |
| 9 | Honourable Captain(honorary) | मानार्थ सह-सेनानीManartha Saha-Senani | – |
| 10 | Lieutenant | उप सेनानीUpa-Senani | Rs 49,613 |
| 11 | Honourable Lieutenant(honorary) | मानार्थ उप सेनानीManartha Upa-Senani | – |
| 12 | Second Lieutenant | सहायक सेनानीSahayak Senani | Rs 48,058 |
| 13 | Officer Cadet | अधिकृत क्याडेटAdhikrit Cadet | Rs 47,960 |
The general ranks share the word रथी (Rathi): सहायक रथी (Brigadier General), उपरथी (Major General), रथी (Lieutenant General) and महारथी (General). Field officers use सेनानी (Senani): सहायक सेनानी, उप सेनानी, सह-सेनानी, सेनानी, प्रमुख सेनानी and महासेनानी. Once you learn the two roots, the whole ladder is easy to remember.
Nepal Army other ranks (अन्य दर्जा)
Other ranks from highest to lowest. In recruitment notices you will see the terms पदिक (Padik) and बिल्लादार (Billadar); the recruitment portal groups these posts as JCO/NCOs, while new soldiers join through the Recruit (सैन्य) intake.
| # | English | Nepali (नेपाली) | Starting basic (2083/84) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Subedar Major | प्रमुख सुवेदारPramukh Subedar | – |
| 15 | Warrant Officer First Class | सुवेदारSubedar | Rs 38,203 |
| 16 | Warrant Officer Second Class | जमदारJamadar | Rs 36,142 |
| 17 | Sergeant | हुद्दाHudda | Rs 31,372 |
| 18 | Corporal | अमल्दारAmaldar | Rs 30,373 |
| 19 | Lance Corporal | प्यूठPyuth | Rs 29,297 |
| 20 | Private | सिपाहीSipahi | Rs 28,690 |
| 21 | Followers | फलोअर्सFollowers | – |
Nepal Army rank list in Nepali (क्रम अनुसार)
महारथी (प्रधानसेनापति) → रथी → उपरथी → सहायक रथी → महासेनानी → प्रमुख सेनानी → सेनानी → सह-सेनानी → मानार्थ सह-सेनानी → उप सेनानी → मानार्थ उप सेनानी → सहायक सेनानी → अधिकृत क्याडेट → प्रमुख सुवेदार → सुवेदार → जमदार → हुद्दा → अमल्दार → प्यूठ → सिपाही → फलोअर्स
Nepal Army rank and pay compared with Police, APF and civil service
The army website does not publish an official rank-equivalence table. The fairest comparison we can source is pay: the table below lists posts in Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and the civil service that start on exactly the same basic salary under the Ministry of Finance pay scale for 2083/84. Treat it as a pay comparison, not a statement of legal seniority.
Full scales: Nepal Army salary, Nepal Police salary, civil service salary, Kharidar, Nayab Subba and Section Officer. Colonel and the general ranks are not in the published scale we use, so no figure is shown for them.
Rank insignia
The official rank page shows an insignia image for every rank but no written description, so we do not describe or copy them here. View the insignia on the Nepali Army rank structure page.
How to enter the rank ladder
- As an officer: apply for Officer Cadet (अधिकृत क्याडेट). After training you are commissioned as Second Lieutenant. Read the Officer Cadet syllabus.
- As a soldier: apply in the Sainya (सैन्य) recruitment and, after training as a recruit, join as Sipahi.
- From the ranks: serving Padik and Billadar soldiers can compete in the internal Officer Cadet intake.
Dates, eligibility, height and fees for each intake are on our Nepal Army vacancy page. Track exam months on the PSC calendar, check your age with the age calculator and convert BS dates with the Nepali date converter.
Sources: Nepali Army, Rank Structure (checked 1 Kartik 2083); Ministry of Finance salary scale effective Shrawan 1, 2083. Loksewa Tayari is an independent exam-prep site and is not affiliated with the Nepali Army.
