Burmese

American  

[ber-meez, -mees] / bərˈmiz, -ˈmis /

adjective

1. of or relating to Burma (now Myanmar), its inhabitants, or their language.

2. Burman.

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noun

• Burmese
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Burma (now Myanmar).

2. Burman.

3. the Tibeto-Burman language of the Burman ethnic group: the official language of Burma (now Myanmar).

Burmese British  

/ bɜːˈmiːz /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Burma (Myanmar), its people, or their language

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Burma (Myanmar)

2. the official language of Burma (Myanmar), belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family

Usage

Burmese is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by the Burmese ), but it's relatively rare as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Burmese ).

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Burmese
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Burmese

First recorded in 1815–25; Burm(a) + -ese

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Burmese

It contained 2,930 diamonds, including the legendary 234-carat De Beers yellow diamond as its centerpiece, surrounded by seven other large diamonds and Burmese rubies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

"They can remove the statues, but they can never erase Bogyoke's image," one Yangon resident said, using the Burmese word for general to describe Aung San.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

Burmese pythons and brown anoles, both invasive species in the US, are known carriers of Ro.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

Judge Michael Davis voiced alarm about a Burmese refugee arrested by ICE Jan. 10 and quickly transferred to Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

The ancestors of modern speakers of Thai, Lao, and Burmese all moved south from South China and adjacent areas to their present locations within historical times, successively inundating the settled descendants of previous migrations.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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