Burmese is a tonal language, where subtle differences in pronunciation completely change the meaning of a word. But it’s also a language where the same word, spelled and pronounced the same, can have completely different meanings. For example, I give you hniq’ (နှစ်)* which means, variously, ‘immerse’, ‘year’, or ‘two’.**
This is a story about me learning Burmese, and being very far from the smartest person in the room. Continue reading Hniq’, or “please love me again”.