When you have to touch an older or superior person such as when flicking an insect or a piece of dirt off his shirt or jacket. In thus seek- ing pardon you say the name of the act as a substitute for the act. For instance, when in a crowded prayer pavilion you cross in front of a sitting or praying person, you bend slightly and say, gadaw. Gadaw is also the expression sometimes used to seek pardon.
Myanmar language say hello full#
When you meet a monk or an elder in passing and there is no time or occasion for a full act of obeisance, the gadaw is done with clasped palms and fingers at forehead level.
It is the starting posture of the bow where the palms end up flat together with the forehead touching the floor. It is done sitting on the floor with feet tucked in beneath you. Gadawis the name of the act of paying obeisance to Buddha, Dhamma, and Sanghai(Order of monks) and one’s elders. To raise them to the forehead level is to perform the act of gadaw. Sometimes the min gala ba is accompanied by the palms and fingers brought together at chin level. So you hear foreign visitors say min gala ba while Myanmar between themselves use nei kaun: ba la:
It has also become a convenient form to offer to foreign visitors who ask for the Myanmar greeting. When the teacher enters the classroom, the children rise and say min gala ba hsaya ma… The teacher replies, min gala ba. But when a person is addressing a large gathering, such as a theatre audience, it is felt that there is a need for a less personal greeting. Nei kaun thala: is adequate for interpersonal greetings. And if you happen to pass someone who is eating at home or in a food shop, you will receive the invitation, sa: ba oun: “Please eat.” Min gala ba The same feeling urges a person to use the greeting, sa pi bi la: “Have you eaten?” This is asked at lunch or supper time. It is an expression of fellow-feeling, a feeling of community and family. la thale: “Where have you come from?” This is not being inquisitive. Or if you are moving in the direction of your home from somewhere, she will ask, be ga. When you meet a friend in the street, going or coming, you may use the more familiar, be le: Or if you pass your neighbor sitting on the stoop, she will greet you with be le: “Where are you going”. Nei kaun: thala: is used by people of equal age or status or to a lower level., A younger or junior person greeting an older or superior substitute the respectful form ba for tha nei kaun: ba la Be le It has its source in the basic Myanmar emotion which is generated in personal relations, and which covers all living things: loving-kindness. It asks about the total wellbeing of the person as a compound of the physical, mental, economic and social conditions. It asks, “Are you well?” The “well” in this case is not limited to an inquiry after the person’s health. And in shops, don’t do it.īasic Language for Greetings In Myanmar Nei kaurn thala
When talking to a monk, you can bow slightly or sit down to have your body lower than his. In order to greet the monks, you should place your hands together in a prayer position and hold them at face level and bow deeply. Myanmar culture has a close-knit relation with Buddhism and so much of the accepted etiquette pertains to Buddhist beliefs. It originates in a feeling of concern for the other person and a wish for that person’s well being. Nor is it attached to a gesture like the Thai-wai. The Myanmar (Burma) form of greeting is not confined to any part of the day such that you say, “Good morning” in the morning and, “Good night” at night.