By Rachel Diebel
Burmese is the official language of Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia formerly known as Burma. The government officially refers to the language as Myanmar, but the commonly used local term is Burmese. The Burma Road was a major thoroughfare for trade and travel, so the Burmese language is a mishmash of other languages, including Tibetan and Chinese.
Like many Asian languages, Burmese is a tonal language, meaning that there are four tones (high, low, creaky and checked) that a speaker can use, and a word changes meaning depending on the tone in which it is spoken.
In addition, the language is written using Burmese script, flowing characters based on an ancient Indian script. However, the words here have been Anglicized for easy understanding and pronunciation! However, because of that, you may find slight variations on pronunciation guides online.
More about Burma: Shopping in Myanmar | Myanmar/Burma FAQs
Greetings
Welcome
Kyaosopartaal
Hello
Min ga lar par (or the less formal nei kaung la)
Goodbye
Bhine
Good morning
Min ga la ba
Good afternoon
The same as good morning: min ga la ba
Useful Phrases
Thank you
Kyeizu tin ba de (and the reply is ya ba deh)
Please
Kyeizu pyu yue
Excuse me
Ka mya
Yes
Ho de
No
Ma ho bu
Cheers!
Aung myin par say
I’m sorry
Taung pan par tal
Basic Conversation
What is your name?
Na meh be lou kor d’le
My name is…
Male: Ja nor na meh . . . ba
Female: Ja ma nau na meh . . . ba
How are you?
Nei kaon la?
Where are you from?
Sain bhaalkalell?
I’m pleased to meet you.
Tway ya da wanta ba de
Do you speak English?
In-glei sa-ga go pyaw tat de la?
How do you say…in Burmese?
Bama lo … go balo pyaw leh?
I don’t understand.
Na-ma-le ba bu
How much (money) is this?
Zey beh lout le?
What time is it?
Be ne na yee toe bi le?
Popular Foods
Rice noodles in fish broth
Mohinga
Shan-style fish rice
Nga htamin
Tofu salad
Tofu thoke (thoke means salad and all kinds of “salads” are popular)
Dry noodle salad
Nan gyi thoke
Tea leaf salad
Lephet thoke
A popular dessert with tapioca, jelly and fruit in coconut milk
Shwe yin aye
Transportation
Taxi
Ta ka se
Car
Ka
Bus
Basa ka
Bicycle rickshaws
Saiq-ka
Horse or ox carts
Myint hlei
Small three wheeled cars
Thoun bein
Getting Help
Where is the toilet?
Ein-tha be ma le?
Help!
Kuu nyi par ohn!
Call the police!
Ye kor like!
Resources to Learn Burmese
For lists of phrases, try Wikitravel or Omniglot.
There are a number of YouTube videos out there, including this one by Burmese Lesson, which lets you hear native speakers pronounce the phrases.
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Photo credits:
Shan Woman: KX Studio via Flickr
Visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: Foreign and Commonwealth Office via Flickr
Burmese Ladies: Clay Gilliland via Flickr
Myanmar Street Vendor: Eddy Milfort via Flickr
Mohinga: Gary Stevens via Flickr
Burmese Motorcycle Taxi: Mark Fischer via Flickr
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