diff --git a/apps/api/src/app/(site)/[locale]/members/page.tsx b/apps/api/src/app/(site)/[locale]/members/page.tsx
index 1bba438..896f2db 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/app/(site)/[locale]/members/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/api/src/app/(site)/[locale]/members/page.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
 import { MemberAvatar } from "@/components/ui/member-avatar";
 import { getDictionary, isLocale, type Locale, localePath } from "@/lib/i18n";
 import { toPublicMemberDto } from "@/server/members/dto";
+import { memberMatchesQuery } from "@/server/members/search";
 import { listDirectoryMembers } from "@/server/members/service";
 
 export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ export default async function MembersPage({
   const dict = getDictionary(activeLocale);
   const query = await searchParams;
 
-  const q = typeof query.q === "string" ? query.q.trim().toLowerCase() : "";
+  const q = typeof query.q === "string" ? query.q : "";
   const skill =
     typeof query.skill === "string" && (SKILLS as readonly string[]).includes(query.skill)
       ? query.skill
@@ -40,14 +41,7 @@ export default async function MembersPage({
     if (skill !== undefined && !(member.skills as string[]).includes(skill)) {
       return false;
     }
-    if (q.length === 0) {
-      return true;
-    }
-    return (
-      member.displayName.toLowerCase().includes(q) ||
-      member.githubUsername.toLowerCase().includes(q) ||
-      (member.headline ?? "").toLowerCase().includes(q)
-    );
+    return memberMatchesQuery(member, q);
   });
 
   return (
diff --git a/apps/api/src/server/members/search.ts b/apps/api/src/server/members/search.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c556fa0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/src/server/members/search.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+type SearchableMember = {
+  displayName: string;
+  githubUsername: string;
+  headline: string | null;
+};
+
+// Devanagari text can reach us precomposed or decomposed (e.g. a nukta or
+// vowel sign typed as a separate code point), and the two forms are different
+// strings to `includes`. Normalizing both sides to NFC makes a Nepali name
+// match however the member or the searcher's keyboard encoded it.
+export function normalizeSearchText(value: string): string {
+  return value.normalize("NFC").trim().toLocaleLowerCase();
+}
+
+export function memberMatchesQuery(member: SearchableMember, query: string): boolean {
+  const q = normalizeSearchText(query);
+  if (q.length === 0) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return [member.displayName, member.githubUsername, member.headline ?? ""].some((field) =>
+    normalizeSearchText(field).includes(q),
+  );
+}
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/unit/member-search.test.ts b/apps/api/tests/unit/member-search.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d98412
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/tests/unit/member-search.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { memberMatchesQuery } from "@/server/members/search";
+
+const member = {
+  displayName: "सुनिता श्रेष्ठ",
+  githubUsername: "SunitaS",
+  headline: "Frontend developer",
+};
+
+describe("memberMatchesQuery", () => {
+  it("matches a Devanagari display name", () => {
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(member, "सुनिता")).toBe(true);
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(member, "श्रेष्ठ")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("matches a Devanagari name typed in decomposed form", () => {
+    // "ऩ" (U+0929) is canonically equal to "न" + nukta (U+0928 U+093C).
+    const stored = { ...member, displayName: "ऩेपाल" };
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(stored, "ऩ")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("matches a stored decomposed name from a precomposed query", () => {
+    const stored = { ...member, displayName: "ऩेपाल" };
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(stored, "ऩे")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("does not match an unrelated Devanagari name", () => {
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(member, "राम")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("stays case-insensitive for Latin fields and ignores surrounding spaces", () => {
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(member, "  sunitas ")).toBe(true);
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery(member, "FRONTEND")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("matches everyone for an empty query and tolerates a null headline", () => {
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery({ ...member, headline: null }, "")).toBe(true);
+    expect(memberMatchesQuery({ ...member, headline: null }, "developer")).toBe(false);
+  });
+});