aingyi—cotton blouse
anicca—Buddhist doctrine of impermanence
balachaung—pounded dried shrimp and fish paste deep-fried with sugar, chili and tamarind paste
baung-bi chut—“men-out-of-trousers,” referring to soldiers-turned civilian politicians
bhaya—fear
bodaw—teacher of the magical arts
Daw—honorific prefix for middle-aged woman
Dharma—the teaching of the Buddha
gaung baung—sort of turban
honne—unspoken reality (Japanese)
hpoun—spiritual potency
htamein—ankle-length woman’s longyi
kamauk—farmer’s straw hat
kikkake—turning point (Japanese)
kyat—currency
longyi—Burmese sarong, long skirt-like garment for everyday use by both sexes
metta—loving-kindness
nakao—face cream made from a particular type of tree bark
nat-thana—powerful, persistent spirits that must be appeased
nibbana—Burmese for nirvana
samma-vaca—right speech
sangha—the collective of Buddhist monks
shinbyu—Buddhist coming-of-age ceremony for boys
tatemae—official reality (Japanese)
Tatmadaw—Burmese Army
thanaka—generic term for face cream made from tree bark
thathanabaing—senior monk
weiksa—wizard
yadaya—black magic