Is the Nepali word for friend or colleague the same?
I wonder why my nepali friends always use the English "friend" even for fellow students or even office colleagues. Is it because it is just a way of expressing themselves or is it because both are coming from the same nepali word साथी?

Question

Answer

Friend = सथी । 
colleague = सहयात्री ।
overall they both are quite similar.
Note. I suggest  you to refer eng-nep- eng dictionary.