Most tourists in Myanmar get as far as hello and thank you. It’s a good place to start but it’s not very hard to go a bit further, to put the basic building blocks in place and before you know where you are you’re getting the hang of it and getting a great reaction from the people you meet.
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.
The Burmese phrases are helpful because they are used daily. Below we picked expressions that a new learner will find useful. We included the audio as well. This is a better way to learning. Learn only what you need. We start with greetings and introduction.
| English |
Myanmar |
| Auspicious to you all |
Mingalar Ba |
| How are you? |
nei kaun: ye. la: |
| Good morning |
mingala nan ne khin: ba |
| Good afternoon |
kaun:tho:nei Khin: ba |
| Good evening |
kaun: tho: nya. nei khin: ba |
| Good night / Good Bye |
thwa: bi |
| Please to meet you. |
twei. ya. da wan: tha ba de |
| See you again |
noun gya. thei: da paw. |
Yes / No Words
| English |
Myanmar |
| Yes (Male) |
hou' ke khin bya. |
| Yes (Female) |
hou'ke shin. |
| Yes (both genders) |
in: |
| No |
hin. in: |
| No (it isnt) |
hin. in: ma hou' phu |
| Okay / Alright / Agreed |
kaun: bi |
| It's all right |
ya ba de |
Polite Phrases
| English |
Myanmar |
| Thank you |
kyei: zu: tin ba de |
| Thank you very much |
kyei:zu: amya: gyi: tin ba de |
| You are welcome |
kyo zo ba de: |
| I beg your pardon (apology). |
sei' mashi. ba ne |
| I beg your pardon (Male) |
khin mya (?) |
| I beg you pardon (Female) |
Shin (?) |
| Sorry |
sel' mashi ba ne. |
| Excuse me |
thi: khan ba |
| You are so kind. |
a: na zaya gyi: |
| Don't feel awkward. |
a: ma na ba ne |
| Can I help you? |
ku nyi ba ya. zei |
| I don't mind. its alright. |
kei' sa mashi ba bu: |
| Good Luck |
kan kaun: ba zei |
Questions and Requests
| English |
Myanmar |
| How much? |
be lau'le: |
| What's that? |
e: da ba le: |
| Where is the restroom? |
ein tha be ma shi. tha le: |
| What time is it? |
bel na nar yi shi byi lel |
| May I go now? |
thwa: gwin. pyu. ba oun: |
| Do you understand? |
khamya: na: le tha la: |
| May I take a photograph? |
da' poun yai' lo. ya. mala: |
| May I use the telephone? |
te li hpon: thoun: lo. ya.ma la: |
| Where is ...? |
...be na: ma le: |
| How much do I owe you? |
be lau' kya. tha le: |
| I want to go ... |
...go thwa:gyin ba de |
| I want... |
...gyin de |
| Which way? |
be lan ga thwah ya ma ke' |
| How Far? |
be' lauk way tha le' |
| Where are you going? |
be thwa ma lou le' |
Other Phrases
| English |
Myanmar |
| Very expensive |
zei: mya:de |
| I cannot speak Myanmar |
Myanmar lo mata' bu: |
| I don't understand |
na: ma le bu: |
| Really? |
da ge la: |
| It's impossible |
ma hpyi' nain bu: |
| Possibly |
hpyi' nain ba de |
| Beautiful! |
h!a. lai' ta |
| Keep the change |
maan: ne. daw |
| Be careful |
tha di: hta: ba |
| Be careful. don't drive too fast |
tha di: hta: ba: phyei: byei: maun: |
Directions
| Turn left |
be be cho: |
| Turn right |
nya be cho: |
| Straight ahead |
te. de. thwa; ba |
| Stop here |
dima ya' ba |
| Slow down |
hpyei: byei: |
| Turn back |
pyan hie: |
Numbers
| English |
Myanmar |
English |
Myanmar |
| One |
ti' |
Sixteen |
tasel chauk |
| Two |
hni' |
Seventeen |
tasel kun |
| Three |
thone |
Eighteen |
tasel shit |
| Four |
lay |
Nineteen |
tasel koe |
| Five |
ngar |
Twenty |
hni sel |
| Six |
chauk |
Thirty |
thone sel |
| Seven |
kunit (kun) |
Fourty |
lay sel |
| Eight |
shit |
Fifty |
ngar sel |
| Nine |
koe |
Sixty |
chauk sel |
| Ten |
tasel |
Seventy |
kuni sel |
| Eleven |
tasel ti |
Eighty |
shit sel |
| Twelve |
tasel hni |
Ninety |
koe sel |
| Thirteen |
tasel thone |
One Hundred |
ta yar |
| Fourteen |
tasel lay |
One Thousand |
ta htaung |
| Fifteen |
tasel ngar |
One Lakh |
ta thein |
Places
| English |
Myanmar |
| Airport |
lei zei |
| Bus Station |
ba saka: hma'tain |
| Railway Station |
buda youn |
| Hotel |
hou te |
| Embassy |
than youn: |
| Hospital |
hsei: youn |
| Clinic |
hsei: gan: |
| Police Station |
ye: sa khan: |
| Post Office |
sa dai |
| Market |
zei: |
| River Boat jetty |
thin: baw: zei' |
| Guest house |
e. yei' tha |
| Restaurant |
sa: thau' hsain |
