Rohingya

[roh-hin-juh, roh-hin-guh]

noun

1. a member of a predominantly Islamic, Indic-speaking people of western coastal Myanmar, constituting an ethnic, religious, and linguistic minority in that country.

2. the Indic language of the Rohingya, unrelated to the Tibeto-Burman language Burmese, the official language of Myanmar.

adjective

1. relating to the Rohingya or their language.

   Music is deeply rooted in Rohingya culture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rohingya¹

First recorded in 1960–65; a self-designation of the Rohingya people

Example Sentences

He learned that his brother, Kairul, and four other relatives were among 40 Rohingya refugees allegedly deported by the Indian government to Myanmar, a country they had fled in fear years ago.

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They then made their way to shore and are now facing an uncertain future in Myanmar, which the mostly-Muslim Rohingya community had fled in huge numbers in recent years to escape persecution.

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Campaigners have often flagged that the condition of Rohingya in India is precarious.

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India does not recognise the Rohingya as refugees but rather, as illegal immigrants under the country's Foreigners Act.

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India has a sizeable population of Rohingya refugees, although Bangladesh, where more than a million live, has the biggest number.

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