392
LANGUAGE
GLOSSARY
Wor d s
acheiq longyi – longyi woven
with intricate patterns
and worn on ceremonial
occasions
a-le – opium weights
a-nyeint pwe – traditional
variety of pweBamar – Burman ethnic group
betel – the nut of the areca
palm, which is chewed as a
mild intoxicant throughout
Asia
Bodhi tree – the sacred
banyan tree under which
the Buddha gained
enlightenment; also ‘bo tree’
Brahman – pertaining to
Brahma or to early Hindu
religion (not to be confused
with ‘brahmin’, a Hindu caste)chaung – (gyaung) stream or
canal; often only seasonal
cheroots – Myanmar
cigars; ranging from slim to
massive, but very mild, as
they contain only a small
amount of tobacco mixed
with other leaves, roots and
herbs
chinlon – extremely popular
Myanmar sport in which a
circle of up to six players
attempts to keep a rattan
ball in the air with any part
of the body except the arms
and hands
chinthe – half-lion, half-
dragon guardian deitydeva – Pali-Sanskrit word for
celestial beings
dhamma – Pali word for the
Buddhist teachings; called
dharma in Sanskriteingyi – traditional long-
sleeved shirt worn by
Myanmar menflat – covered pontoon used
to carry cargo on a river;
often up to 98ft long
furlong – obsolete British
unit of distance still used
in Myanmar; one-eighth of
a milegaung baung – formal,
turbanlike hat for men;
made of silk over a wicker
framework
gu – cave templehaw – Shan word for
‘palace’, a reference to the
large mansions used by the
hereditary Shan sao pha
hgnet – swallow-tailed boat
hintha – mythical, swanlike
bird; hamsa in Pali-Sanskrit
hneh – a wind instrument
like an oboe; part of the
Myanmar orchestra
hpongyi – Buddhist monk
hpongyi-kyaung –
monastery; see also kyaung
hsaing – traditional musical
ensemble
hsaing waing – circle of drums
used in a Myanmar orchestra
htan – (tan) sugar palm
hti – umbrella-like decorated
pinnacle of a stupa
htwa – half a taungin – lake; eg Inle means
little lakeJataka – stories of the
Buddha’s past lives; a
common theme for temple
paintings and reliefskalaga – embroidered
tapestries
kamma – Pali word for the
law of cause and effect;
called karma in Sanskrit
kammahtan – meditation;
a kammahtan kyaung is a
meditation monastery
kammawa – lacquered
scriptures
kan – (gan) beach; can also
mean a tank or reservoir
karaweik – a mythical bird
with a beautiful song; also
the royal barge on Inle Lake;
karavika in Pali
kutho – merit, what you
acquire through doing good;
from the Pali kusala
kyaik – Mon word for paya
kyauk – rock
kyaung – (gyaung) Myanmar
Buddhist monastery;
pronounced ‘chown’kye waing – circle of gongs
used in a Myanmar orchestra
kyi – (gyi) big; eg Taunggyi
means big mountain
kyun – (gyun) islandlàn – road or street
lei-myet-hna – four-sided
buddha sculpture
Lokanat – Avalokitesvara,
a Mahayana Bodhisattva
(buddha-to-be) and
guardian spirit of the world
longyi – the Myanmar unisex
sarong-style lower garment;
sensible wear in a tropical
climate; unlike men in most
other Southeast Asian
countries, few Myanmar
men have taken to Western
trousersMahayana – literally ‘Great
Vehicle’; the school of
Buddhism that thrived in
north Asian countries like
Japan and China, and also
enjoyed popularity for a time
in ancient Southeast Asian
countries; also called the
Northern School of Buddhism
makara – mythical sea serpent
mi-gyaung – crocodile lute
mudra – hand position; used
to describe the various hand
positions used by buddha
images, eg abhaya mudra (the
gesture of fearlessness)
Myanma let-hwei – Myanmar
kickboxing
myit – river
myo – town; hence Maymyo
(after Colonel May),
Allanmyo (Major Allan) or
even Bernardmyo
myothit – ‘new town’,
usually a planned new
suburb built since the 1960snaga – multiheaded dragon-
serpent from mythology,
often seen sheltering or
protecting the Buddha; also
the name of a collection of
tribes in northwest Myanmar
nat – spirit being with the
power to either protect or
harm humans
nat-gadaw – spirit medium
(literally ‘spirit bride’);
embraces a wide variety of nat