Bengali
Daamini lightning
Burmese
boothi vegetable like zucchini
chaung small stream
chinlone woven rattan ball
htamein wraparound skirt for females
jaggery palm sugar in blocks, eaten after meals or as a sweet
kalama insult used against Indian women meaning ‘foreigner’
kyat Myanmar currency
longyi long wraparound skirt worn by men and women
mingalar bar Myanmar greeting
nagar dragon; mythical creature in Myanmar fairytales
Pathein region of Myanmar and type of rice
saya respectful term for teacher
sein pan golden mohur tree with bright orange flowers
shi-kho polite greeting
stupa place of meditation
taing-yin-thar ‘native’ of Burma prior to colonisation – a contested term
thakin sir
thanaka sweet-smelling powder used as sunscreen; tree bark used in traditional makeup
Mro language
hom, tui paddy field
Mro-cha person of the Mro ethnic group
aasso-lamu alaikum has Allah kept you well?
Asr afternoon prayer
azan call to prayer
baba father, daddy
babi sister-in-law
bazu cotton top
bismillah karo hamam rahin in the name of Allah, gracious and merciful
dadi grandmother
deshi cooking pot
Dhurh general term for prayer; also the term used for second prayers of the day just before lunch
dut condensed milk
Eid al-Adha festival of the sacrifice
Fagr first morning prayer
hodu hak fried calabash; a long gourd
hori hak pumpkin leaf with garlic
ken ah so? how are you?
madrassa schoolroom
Maghirb dusk prayer
maja-fu father’s sister
mama mother
massor salon fish curry
mohzeem one who calls to prayer
numal veil (headscarf) that Muslim women wear in public
shamish spoon
suri knife
tufih cap
wa alaikum aasso-lam yes, Allah has kept me well
Shan language
lawl ait special bag known locally as a ‘Shan bag’
Urdu
kameez Indian top
tiffin lunch