Burmese

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Burma +‎ -ese.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /bɜːˈmiːz/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /bɝˈmiz/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːz

Adjective

Burmese (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to Burma (Myanmar) or its people or language.
    Synonyms: Myanmarese, Myanma, Myanmar

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

Burmese (plural Burmese)

  1. (chiefly in the plural) A person from Myanmar or of Burmese descent.
  2. (zoology) A medium-sized, short-haired domestic cat of a breed originating in Thailand.

Usage notes

As with other terms for people formed with -ese, the countable singular noun in reference to a person (as in "I am a Burmese", "writing about Burmese cuisine as a Burmese") is uncommon and often taken as grammatically incorrect. In its place, the adjective is used, by itself (as in "I am Burmese") or before a noun like person, man, or woman ("writing about Burmese cuisine as a Burmese person"). See also -ish, which is similarly only primarily used as an adjective or as a plural noun.

Synonyms

Translations

Proper noun

Burmese

  1. The Sino-Tibetan official language of the country Burma. Also known as Myanmar (which is the name preferred by the country's current government).
    • 2019 September 27, “Unicode in, Zawgyi out: Modernity finally catches up in Myanmar's digital world”, in The Japan Times[1], archived from the original on 22 August 2020:
      Today around 90 percent of people use Zawgyi instead of Unicode.
      Incompatible without fiddly plug-ins, it only allows people to communicate in Burmese with other Zawgyi users, excluding the nation’s minority languages. Its clunkiness also means search functions do not work, crippling data storage systems.
  2. The script in which the Burmese language is written.

Translations

See also

  • Appendix:Burmese Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in Burmese

Further reading

Anagrams