my name is Mary (female) – kya ma ka Mary bar.my name is Jack (male) – kya taw ka Jack bar.nice to meet you – twé-yá-da wùn-tha-ba-deh.Burmese is the official and most widely-spoken language, being native to the largest ethnic group (the Bamar) it is the primary language in many areas accessible to foreigners and is understood by the majority of the population.Ī tonal language that is part of the Tibeto-Burman language group, Burmese is in fact officially referred to as ‘the Myanmar language’ by the government you will often here locals describe it as such, or simply ‘Myanmar’ (it is also sometimes referred to as Burmese or Bamar). There are over 100 languages and dialects used in Myanmar. Also, because there is only one word for ‘road’, ‘street’ and ‘lane’ in Burmese ( làn), English-language maps in Myanmar tend to be inconsistent in their usage of the three English words. But if you bear this in mind, it is not too difficult to work out, as it is usually only one or two letters that are different. Spellings sometimes vary in Myanmar this inconsistency is most challenging for visitors when it applies to hotels and road names. On this website, the locally-used name is the one that is used first – if a place has alternative names, we also provide them. However, in Myanmar, almost everyone uses the name Myanmar.

Burmese is the main language, but English is spoken by many people in cities and tourist areas (to varying degrees of proficiency) most hotels and bigger restaurants have some staff with a working level of English.īecause of Myanmar’s diversity and its colonial past, most places have two or more names that you might find used in newspapers, on the internet, on maps and in literature – the most prominent being the name of the country itself, which is referred to as both Myanmar and Burma. Myanmar is a hugely diverse country with many different ethnic and language groups.

Embassies, holidays & other useful info.

Cultural differences & adapting to Myanmar.

Community, charities & social enterprise.

Mount Victoria and Nat Ma Taung National Park.

Southern Myanmar And The Irrawaddy Delta.

Shwedagon Pagoda & other religious sites.

Burmese words in english