缅甸语
miǎndiànyǔ
The term for Burmese in Chinese is 缅甸语 (miǎndiànyǔ).
缅甸语 is used to name the Burmese language.
Meaning: language (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 缅甸 (miǎndiàn), meaning Myanmar or Burma and 语 (yǔ), meaning language.
Which one should you use?
Use 缅甸语 (miǎndiànyǔ) to refer specifically to the language, whereas 缅甸 (miǎndiàn) refers to the country itself. If you wish to refer specifically to the Burmese writing system or written text, use 缅甸文 (miǎndiànwén).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
miǎndiànyǔ
Did you know?
- The characters in 缅甸 (miǎndiàn) are 'phono-semantic', meaning they are chosen to sound like 'Myanmar' while the characters themselves carry meanings related to 'silk' and 'border'.
- While 缅甸语 refers to the language, the Chinese term for the Burmese script 缅甸文 uses the character 文 (wén), which can also mean 'culture' or 'civilization'.
- The character 语 (yǔ) in 缅甸语 contains the radical for 'speech', which is shared by many other words for languages, creating a visual pattern that helps Chinese readers identify any foreign language name instantly.
Examples in context
- 我有一个好朋友是 缅甸人 。I have a good friend who is Burmese.
- 我会说一点缅甸语。Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎn Miǎndiànyǔ.I can speak a little Burmese.
- 这种书是用缅甸语写的。Zhè zhǒng shū shì yòng Miǎndiànyǔ xiě de.This kind of book is written in Burmese.
- 你想学习缅甸语吗？Nǐ xiǎng xuéxí Miǎndiànyǔ ma?Do you want to study Burmese?
Example conversation
In a language school, two students are talking about their classes.
- 俊杰 Junjie你下学期选什么课？Nǐ xià xuéqī xuǎn shénme kè?What class are you taking next semester?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想选缅甸语课。Wǒ xiǎng xuǎn Miǎndiànyǔ kè.I want to take a Burmese class.
- 俊杰 Junjie那太难了吧？Nà tài nán le ba?Isn't that too difficult?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen虽然很难，但我很感兴趣。Suīrán hěn nán, dàn wǒ hěn gǎn xìngqù.Even though it's hard, I am very interested.
