Myanmar Language (Burmese)

The Myanmar language, or Burmese, as most people still call it, is the official language of Myanmar, with approximately 50 Million speakers. Of those 50 Million, approximately 35 Million people speak Burmese as their first language.

Burmese belongs to the family of Tibeto-Burman languages; a tonal language comprising of 5 different tones. The written form uses a Burmese script, a derived form of the Mon script.

Burmese uses a syllabic alphabet, where every letter is assigned a specific vowel sound. Supplementary vowel sounds can also be added using specific letters or diacritics.

The round appearance of Burmese letters stems from the fact that traditionally, the Burmese used palm leaves as their writing medium. As palm leaves tend to break apart when writing straight lines, rounder shaped letters were developed as an effective solution to the problem.

Burmese Consonants:

Burmese Vowels and Diacritics:

Burmese Numerals:

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