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Physical Body & illnesses

Let's make learning Burmese language fun and interesting. In this lesson, I will describe physical body parts in Myanmar, and what to do with them. For example, when I think of "hand", the old Beatles song "I wanna hold your hand" came up to my mind. How would you say that phrase in Burmese?

Name that Body Part in Burmese

I will cover the common Myanmar Language usages associated with each body part, as well as illnesses and medical terms to be used when you see a doctor. Let's start systematically from the top down.

Head

Burmese word for head is goun3.

goun3 ma2 deare2

the person is very stubborn. (head + hard + affirmative ending word)

goun3 kite deare2
I have a headache. (head + bite + affirmative ending word)

goun3 mu3 deare2

I feel dizzy. (head + dizziness/drunken state + affirmative ending word)

goun3 ay3-ay3 neare1 sin3-za3 ba2

That's the advice to think over something with cool head. Here's the break-down.

goun3 — head

ay3-ay3 — coolly. Note: when you double up the word ay3 which means "cool", the word becomes an adverb "coolly".

neare1 — with

sin3-za3 — think

ba2 — polite suggestion.

goun3-pfyi3 meare2

I will comb hair. (head + comb hair + will)

Myanmar Grammar Notes: words such as goun3 kite and goun3 mu3 are verbs. They are compound words with the noun goun3 meaning head.

I need a hair cut

za1-bin2 — hair

hnyut — cut with scissors

chin2 deare2 — I want to (want + affirmation)

za1-bin2 hnyut chin2 deare2I want a hair cut.

Cheek

pa3 — cheek

cha1 — strike; fight

pay3 — give

meare2 — will

pa3 cha1 pay3 meare2

I'll give you a slap.

In one website, a Canadian woman who travels extensively in Myanmar (without any companion or guide) had learned to say a phrase quite similar to this. She mentioned that if local punks harass her by saying "pretty lady, pretty lady", that phrase will come in handy.

Face

myet-hna2 — face

pyet — be ruined

deare2 — affirmation

myet-hna2 pyet deare2Reputation is ruined!

myet-hna2 — face

ngeare2 — small

deare2 — affirmation

myet-hna2 ngeare2 deare2"feel small" is the feeling you have when other people look down on you, have low opinion of you, and or make disparaging remarks about you, your family or your country. The truth could be real or imagined.

Myanmar Grammar Notes: Both myet-hna2 pyet and myet-hna2 ngeare2 are verbs. They are compound words with the noun myet-hna2 meaning face.

Tongue

sha2 — tongue

shay2 — long

lite da2 — so much

sha2-shay2 lite da2

means the person is so long-winded. That person talks and talks and talks and talks.

Heart, Chest, other organs, illnesses, symptoms & diseases

a-theare3 — liver

kweare3 — break

ba2 — soften tone

byi2 — has reached a certain state or condition.

A-theare3 kweare3 ba2 byi2My heart is broken! ( Note: not a medical term. Doctors cannot cure this. I hereby declare that there are no broken-hearted people in Myanmar— only those with broken liver.)

The video clip below describes how Myanmar girls are afraid of broken liver.

မေ၊ ဘရိတ်ကီ | May and Breaky
Myanmar Grammar Notes: This is just like in English where heart as a noun can be used as broken-hearted as a verb.

yin2 — chest

na2 — be painful

deare2 — affirmation

yin2 na2 deare2 — I feel hurt! (Note: not a medical term. Doctors cannot cure this.)

yin2-but na2 deare2

I have a chest pain. (Medical term.)

hna1-lone3means heart (organ)

hna1-lone3 dtha3heart that feels. This is a modern Burmese word which gets the idea of Heart from English. I have covered in that Burmese song not to break the hna1-lone3 dtha3.

a-hsoatlungs

a-hsoat yau3-ga2lung disease

yau3-ga2 means disease.

Both active and passive smoking can cause

a-hsoat yau3-ga2lung disease.

If your diet is high in cholesterol, trans fat and saturated fats, and if you don't exercise regularly, you may want to check whether you have

hna1-lone3 yau3-ga2 (heart disease).

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes fall under the category of hsi3-jo2 yau3-ga2diabetes

hsi3 — urine

cho2 — sweet

yau3-ga2 — disease

shi1 deare2 — I have (present + affirmation)

hsi3-jo2 yau3-ga2 shi1 deare2

I have diabetes.

If your illness is long-term and chronic, use the words

shi1 deare2 to mean "I have".

Some other illnesses under this include:

thway3 toe3 yau3-ga2high blood pressure / hypertension

ka2-la1-dtha3 yau3-ga2venereal disease

ay2-ine2-de2-etsAIDS (Just say the English initials)

The full term for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is:

khu1-khan2 — resist

ah3 — strength

kja1-hsin3 — decrease; decline

hmu1 — case (this particle modifies "kja1-hsin3" to noun)

ku3-set — spread (roughly: contagious)

yau3-ga2 — disease

HIV/AIDS is recognized by the Ministry of Health as a major social and health issue. The highest infection rates are in those regions bordering Thailand and China. According to WHO report , in 2010 HIV/AIDS was responsible for 1% of cause of deaths in children under 5 (which could be the result of mother-to-child infection).

In addition to long-term chronic illnesses, the words

shi1 deare2 can also be used to say if you or someone is pregnant:

ko2-woon2 — pregnancy

shi1 — have

deare2 — affirmation

ko2-woon2 shi1 deare2(She is / I am) pregnant.

Use the words

nay2 deare2

for short-term symptoms like flu, fever, cough, cold, vomit, running nose, swollen glands, and so on.

pfya3 nay2 deare2

general term which means [I/he/she has/have] fever and flu-like symptoms.

choun3-hso3 nay2 deare2

Use this phrase if you have a cough: I have a cough.

un2 nay2 deare2

I am vomiting.

hna2-yay2 yo2 nay2 deare2

I have a running nose. (nostril + liquid + to leak + "as of current" + affirmation)

Use the word youn2 if something is swollen. It's the same word and spelling for "color". For example,

du3 youn2 nay2 deare2

My knees are swollen. (knee + swollen + "as of current" + affirmation)

a-hsit youn2 nay2 deare2

My joints are swollen. (joint + swollen + "as of current" + affirmation)

A-hsit is a singular form of a muscle joint. If you want to stress that several joints are swollen, you can use the plural word a-hsit dway2.

Human Anatomy - Internal Organs

Human Anatomy in Burmese

Stomach

The complete word for stomach in written Burmese is woon3 bite. In spoken language, this word is shortened as bite.

bite — stomach

na2 — be painful

deare2 — affirmation

bite na2 deare2I have a stomach ache.

woon3 — stomach

shau3 — slide down

nay2 — stay; as of current

deare2 — affirmation

woon3-shau3 nay2 deare2

I have a diarrhoea.

bite — stomach

keare2 — feel filled up

nay2 — stay; as of current

deare2 — affirmation

bite-keare2 nay2 deare2

Use this phrase if you have a bloated feeling in the stomach due to indigestion.

Hand

Burmese word let is the general term for the whole hand from the shoulder to the finger tip. If you want to be more specific,

let-moun3 — arm

let-pfa1-wa3 — palm

let-ma1 — thumb (hand + similar to "mother" as in "mother ship")

let-hnyo3 — index finger

let-kha1-leare2 — middle finger (hand + middle)

let-dtha1-jweare2 — ring finger (hand + rich )

let-thun3 — little finger

let-choun3 — fingers

let-theare3 — finger nails

Here is an advice on not to use your index finger on other people:

lu2 mya3 — other people (people + many)

go2 — to

let-hnyo3 — index finger

ma1-hto3 — not to point your finger at (not + to punch or poke at)

ba2 neare1 — please don't (polite suggestion + negative imperative)

lu2 mya3 go2 let-hnyo3 ma1-hto3 ba2 neare1

Don't put your blame on other people by pointing finger at them.

Age old wisdom says if you point one finger at others, three fingers are pointing back at you. (except for the thumb, I guess.)

How would you say, "I want to hold your hand"? The phrase doesn't sound natural in Burmese unless you hold hands (with your girlfriend, for example) and walk together instead of just sit there.

let — hand

tweare3 — attach

pyi3 — after that (conjunction to connect two verbs)

shout — walk

ja1 — plural to imply "we"

meare2 — will

let tweare3 pyi3 shout ja1 meare2

We will hold hands and walk.

Modify that phrase a bit, and it becomes a good one for politicians asking people to join hands with them.

let tweare3 pyi3 shout ja1 ba2 zo1

Let's walk hand in hand!

Waist and Back

kha3 — waist

nyoun3 — muscles to become sore and tired

deare2 — affirmation

kha3 nyoun3 deare2

I have a back pain.

It's interesting that kha3 refers to the waist, but that phrase can be used for the muscle sore from the waist up instead of the word for the "back", which is kjau3.

How to say back pain in burmese.

Leg

You can use the word chay2-dout for your leg from toe to thigh.

chay2-dout — feet

nyoun3 — muscles to become sore and tired

deare2 — affirmation

chay2-dout nyoun3 deare2

My legs are tired!

how to say legs in Burmese.

As for me, my hands are getting tired. So, my last phrase for this lesson is,

Let — hand

nyoun3 — muscles to become sore and tired

byi2 — has reached certain state or condition.

Yes, I am very, very tired. I am going to forget about my endless long days and exhausting late nights for a while. Hope you heart is lightened and refreshed by this video clip as it did to me.

Relax for a moment

Yes, I am very, very tired. I am going to forget about my endless long days and exhausting late nights for a while. Hope you heart is lightened and refreshed by this video clip as it did to me. [1 minute 10 seconds]

Posted by Naing Tinnyuntpu on Sunday, May 8, 2016
ချစ်သုဝေ၊ ချစ်ဆုဝေ | Chit Thu Way & Chit Su Way

Color Codes: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, particles, postpositional markers, interjections.

Read this page with Myanmar Script
Medical Terms, Symptoms, Diseases & Illnesses in Burmese (Sortable)
ENGLISH ↑↓ AUDIO ↑↓
acne wet-chan2
AIDS ay2-ine2-de2-ets
alcoholism a-yet sweare3 yau3-ga2
anaemia thway3 ah3 neare3 yau3-ga2
arthritis lay3-bet-na2 yau3-ga2
asthma pan3-na2 yin2 kjut yau3-ga2
beri-beri (Avitaminosis) htone2 na2 so2
bird flu kjet hnget toat-kway3 yau3-ga2
blister mi3 loun2 pfu1
breast cancer yin2-dtha3 kin2-hsa2
burn mi3-loun2 dun2-ya2
cancer kin2-hsa2 yau3-ga2
cataract myet-si1 tain2
cholera ka2-la1 wun3 yau3-ga2
chronic illness na2-ta2-shay2 yau3-ga2
contagious disease ku3 set yau3-ga2
cough choun3 hso3
COVID-19 ko2-vit-yau3-ga2
dengue thway3 loon2 toat-kway3
depression sate-kja1 way2-da1-na2
drug addiction mu3 yit hsay3 hsweare3 jin3
diabetes hsi3 jo2 yau3-ga2
elephantiasis hsin2 chay2-dout yau3-ga2
faint dtha1-de1 lit jin3
giddiness mu3 way2 jin3
glaucoma yay2 tain2 yau3-ga2
goiter leare2-bin3-kji3 yau3-ga2
gonorrhea nyoun3-kja1 yau3-ga2
heart beat hna1-lone3 khone2 hnone3
heart disease hna1-lone3 yau3-ga2
hemorrhage thway3 loon2 jin3
hemorrhoids; piles late-goun3 yau3-ga2
hepatitis a-theare3 youn2 yau3-ga2
hernia u2-kja1 yau3-ga2
herpes yay2 yone2
hypertension thway3 toe3 yau3-ga2
illness yau3-ga2
impotency pan3-thay2 yau3-ga2
indigestion a-sa2 ma1-kjay2
injury dun2-ya2
jaundice a-tha3 wa2 yau3-ga2
leukaemia thway3 kin2-hsa2
lost appetite ga1-dwin3 pyet
lung disease a-hsoat yau3-ga2
malaria hnget pfya3 yau3-ga2
measles wet-thet yau3-ga2
menstrual disorder mi3-yut yau3-ga2
palpitation hna1-lone3 tone2 jin3
paralysis lay2-ngun3 yau3-ga2
paralytic stroke lay2 pfyut jin3
plague pa1-late yau3-ga2
polio po2-li2-yo2 yau3-ga2
prostate cancer hsi3-kjate kin2-hsa2
rabies khway3-yu3 pyan2 yau3 ga2
sinusitis htate kut na2
skin disease a-yay2-bya3 yau3-ga2
small pox kjout yau3-ga2
sprain a-hsit lweare3 jin3
sunstroke a-pu2 shut jin3
syphilis ka2 la1 dtha3 yau3-ga2
tonsillitis ah2-dthi3 youn2 na2
toothache thwa3 kite jin3
tuberculosis ti2-be2 yau3-ga2
typhoid tite pfwite yau3-ga2
ulcer pyi2 teare2 a-na2
uterus cancer tha1-ain2 kin2-hsa2
venereal disease ka2 la1 dtha3 yau3-ga2
Treatments & Preventions (Sortable)
ENGLISH ↑↓ AUDIO ↑↓
face mask hna1-khoun3-zi3
inject medicine hsay3 hto3
medical checkup (administer) hsay3 sit
medication / medicine hsay3
treatment hsay3 ku1 tha1 hmu1
vaccine ka2 gweare2 hsay3
vaccination ka2 gweare2 hsay3 hto3
ventilator a-thet-shu2 zet
X-ray dut hmun2
X-ray (to take) dut-hmun2 yite
Anatomy and Physiology (sortable)
ENGLISH ↑↓ AUDIO ↑↓
Adam's apple za1-loat
ankle chay2 myet-si1
anus sa1-oh2-bout
appendix u2 a-tet
arm let moun3
armpit jine3
back below shoulder plates kjau3
back of the hand let pfa1-mo3
beard moat-hsate
big toe chay2-ma1
bladder hsi3 ain2
blood thway3
blood vessel; vein thway3-jau3
bone a-yo3
brain ome3-hnout
breast no1 / yin2-dtha3
calf chay2-tha1-lone3
carpal bone1 let myet-si1
cheeks pa3
chest yin2-but
chin may3-zi1
dimple pa1-chine1
ear na3
elbow da1-doun2-zit
eyebrow myet-khone3-hmway3
eyelash myet-toun2-hmway3
eyelid myet-khoon2
eye myet-si1
face myet-hna2
finger let-choun3
finger joints; wrist let-hsit
finger nails let-theare3
fist let-thi3
flesh a-tha3
forehead na1-pfu3
gall bladder theare3-jay2-ate
genitals (male/female) in2-ga2 zut
groin poun2-jan2
gum tha1-pfone3
hair za1-bin2
hand let
head goun3
heart hna1-lone3
heel chay2 pfa1-noun1
heel or base the palm let pfa1-noun1
hips (formal) tin2-ba3
hips (informal) pfin2
index finger let-hnyo3
instep chay2 pfa1-mo3
intestine u2
jaw may3-yo3
joint a-hsit
kidney kjout-kut
knee du3
large intestine u2 ma1 ji3
leg chay2-dout
lips hna1-khan3
little finger let-thun3
liver a-theare3
lungs a-hsoat
middle finger let kha1-leare2
molar un2 dthwa3
moustache hna1-khan3 hmway3
mouth ba1-zut
nape goat / zet
navel chet
neck leare2-bin3
nipple no1-dthi3
nose hna1-khoun3
occiput; back part of the skull nout-say1
palate ah2-goun2
palm let pfa1-wa3
pancreas pun2-ka1-ri1-ya1
pelvis hsi3-gome2
penis lain2 dun2
red blood cell thway3-ni2 u1
rectum sa1-oh2
rib nun2-yo3
ring finger let dtha1-jweare2
scrotum kut-peare2 ate
shoulder pa1-khone3
skin(color) a-tha3
skin a-yay2-bya3
small intestine u2-dthain2
sole chay2 pfa1-wa3
spleen tha1-yet ywet
stomach bite
teeth thwa3
temple na1-htin2
testicle kut-peare2
testicle gway3-zi1
thigh poun2
throat leare2-joun3
toe chay2-joun3
tongue sha2
tonsil ah2-dthi3
thumb let-ma1
underarm hair jine3-hmway3
uterus tha1-ain2
vagina tha1-ain2 lun3-joun3
vulva in2-ga2-zut a-wa1
waist kha3
whisker pa1-thine3-hmway3
white blood cell thway3-byu2 u1
wisdom tooth un2-zone3
wrist let-kout-woot

1 let-myet-si1 is a carpal bone that protrudes out at the wrist which connects to the little finger through metacarpal bone and also connects to the ulna bone at one side.

Summary of words and Phrases (Sortable)
AUDIO ↑↓ ENGLISH ↑↓
a-hsit youn2 nay2-deare2My joints are swollen.
a-theare3 kweare3 ba2 byi2My heart is broken!
bite keare2 nay2 deare2I have a bloated feeling.
bite na2 deare2I have a stomach ache.
chay2-dout nyoun3 deare2My legs are tired!
choun3-hso3 nay2 deare2I have a cough.
du3 youn2 nay2-deare2My knees are swollen.
goun3 ay3 ay3 neare1 sin3-za3 ba2Think over with cool head.
goun3 kite deare2I have a headache.
goun3 ma2 deare2He is stubborn.
goun3 mu3 deare2I feel dizzy.
goun3 pfyi3 meare2I will comb hair.
hna1-lone3 dtha3heart that feels
hna2-yay2 yo2 nay2 deare2I have a running nose.
hsi3urine
kha3 nyoun3 deare2I have a back pain.
ko2-woon2 shi1 deare2I am/she is pregnant.
let nyoun3 byi2My hands are tired already!
let tweare3 pyi3 shout ja1 ba2 zo1Let's walk hand in hand.
let tweare3 pyi3 shout ja1 meare2We will hold hand and walk.
lu2 mya3 go2 let-hnyo3 ma1-hto3 ba2 neare1Don't blame other people
myet-hna2 ngeare2 deare2Feeling looked down.
myet-hna2 pyet deare2Reputation is ruined.
na2to be painful
nyoun3sore and tired muscle
nyoun3 deare2I feel tired.
pa3 cha1 pay3 meare2I will give you a slap.
pfya3 nay2 deare2I have a fever/ flu.
sha2-shay2 lite da2He is long-winded.
un2 nay2 deare2I am vomiting.
woon3-shau3 nay2 deare2I have diarrhoea.
yau3-ga2disease
yin2-but na2 deare2I have a chest pain.
yin2 na2 deare2I feel hurt!
youn2 nay2 deare2Something is swollen
za1-bin2 hnyut chin2 deare2I want a hair cut.