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?
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)
I need a hair cut
za1-bin2 — hair
hnyut — cut with scissors
chin2 deare2 — I want to (want + affirmation)
za1-bin2 hnyut chin2 deare2 — I 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 deare2 — Reputation 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.
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 byi2 — My 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.
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-lone3 — means heart (organ)
hna1-lone3 dtha3 — heart 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-hsoat — lungs
a-hsoat yau3-ga2 — lung disease
yau3-ga2 means disease.
Both active and passive smoking can cause
a-hsoat yau3-ga2 — lung 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-ga2 — diabetes
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-ga2 — high blood pressure / hypertension
ka2-la1-dtha3 yau3-ga2 — venereal disease
ay2-ine2-de2-ets — AIDS (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
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
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 deare2 — I 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.
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!
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 momentYes, 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