Myanmar

American  

[myahn-mahr, mee-uhn-mahr] / ˈmjɑn mɑr, ˈmi ən mɑr /

noun

1. a country in Southeast Asia, bordering on the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal; area 262, 000 sq. mi. (678,500 sq. km). Nay Pyi Taw.

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Myanmar British  

/ ˈmaɪænmɑː, ˈmjænmɑː /

noun

1. Official full name: the Union of Myanmar.  Former official name (until 1989, though still widely used): Burma.  a republic in SE Asia, on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea: unified from small states in 1752; annexed by Britain (1823–85) and made a province of India in 1886; became independent in 1948. It is generally mountainous, with the basins of the Chindwin and Irrawaddy Rivers in the central part and the Irrawaddy delta in the south. Official language: Burmese. Religion: Buddhist majority. Currency: kyat. Capital: Yangon. Pop: 55 167 330 (2013 est). Area: 676 577 sq km (261 228 sq miles)

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Myanmar Cultural  

1. The official name for Burma since 1989.

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Usage

Due to a history of political and civil unrest, the official name of this country has been the subject of controversy. In 1989 the ruling military government changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar. The United Nations as well as almost all news organizations—including The New York Times, the Associated Press, and the BBC—adopted the new name. However, many pro-democracy groups and opponents of the government, both in-country and internationally, rejected the new name as illegitimate and continue to refer to the country as Burma. Both the U.S. Department of State and the CIA (for example, in its authoritative World Factbook ), as a matter of policy in support of democratic change, also continue to refer to the country as Burma.

Example Sentences

More than 3.7 million people are internally displaced in Myanmar, according to the United Nations, and more one in five people face acute food insecurity amid a national backslide into poverty.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

Some of the most devastating quakes in recent years have been strike-slips, including the lethal earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and the earthquake in central Myanmar last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

"As if the people of Myanmar have not suffered enough at the hands of the military, they have now seemingly been forgotten by those outside the country," UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged firm support for Myanmar in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security during a meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in the capital Naypyidaw.

From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026

An even more drastic linguistic upheaval must have swept over tropical Southeast Asia to the south of China—in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Peninsular Malaysia.

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