Burmese is classified as a Sino-Tibetan language and it is mainly spoken in Myanmar. This language is spoken as a first language by more than 33 million people, primarily the Burman people and the related ethnic groups, and as a second language by 10 million, particularly the ethnic minorities in Myanmar and the neighboring countries.

Burmese has been in contact with other languages in different eras. During the 12th & 13th centuries for example, it was influenced by Pali and Mon. Later on from the 16th to 19th centuries, it was in contact with Portuguese, Dutch, English and French. Yet, these languages have great impacts on the spoken but not the written Burmese. Accordingly, the Modern colloquial Burmese differs from the written official Burmese that is used in text books & formal scripts.