Bamar
/bəˈmɑːr/noun
A member of Myanmar’s largest ethnic group, or relating to that group and its language and culture.
Did you know?Bamar is the English form of Burmese Bama, while Myanma is the more formal literary form; both belong to the same historical ethnonym, whose ultimate origin remains debated.
Etymological Timeline
12th–13th Century
Old Burmese
Mranma
“An early attested form of the name associated with the Burmese people and their polity.”
Medieval Burmese
Burmese
Myanma
“The formal or literary form of the ethnonym and country name.”
Modern Burmese
Burmese
Bama
“The common spoken form referring to the Burmese people, language, or culture.”
20th Century
English
Bamar
“An English romanization used for the Burmese ethnic group, especially to distinguish ethnicity from citizenship in Myanmar.”
Modern English
English
Bamar
“A noun or adjective referring to Myanmar’s dominant ethnolinguistic group.”