Historically, Nupbikha and its speakers have had close contact with speakers of Bumthang, Kurtöp and Kheng, nearby languages of central and eastern Bhutan, to the extent that they may be considered part of a wider collection of "Bumthang languages." The Nyen language, also related to the Bumthang languages, is more divergent, while the 'Ole language ("Black Mountain Monpa") is only distantly related.[2][3][4]