To a Westerner, Burma was renamed Myanmar in 1989. But ask the locals, and they'll explain that Myanmar has been the country's name for centuries. They are confused why foreigners still use the former colonial title -- a name that specifically refers to only one ethnic group. Because Myanmar's name change coincided with a military coup, the new term has largely failed to be used abroad. (Notably, the English-language Bangkok Post, as well as the country's democratic opposition, still refer to "Burma.")

Other name changes decreed by the military government, such as Rangoon becoming Yangon, Pagan to Bagan, and Irrawaddy from Ayerawaddy, are corrections of British mis-spellings and mis-pronunciations.

The name "Burma" identifies the largest majority group in a country of some 50 different nationalities. Indeed, that is why the country is known as the Union of Myanmar, or previously, Union of Burma. Burman is an archaic term to connote Burmese, but the actual word in Myanmar is "Bamar." Hence, there is now a trend (led largely by The Lonely Planet) to replace the word "Burmese" with "Bamar." The general term for a Myanmar citizen, not specifically his or her ethnic identify, is Myanma.

Myanmar Assasa refers to the large, set menu served at a typical Burmese eatery. Because of transliteration, and also because English tend to place an "r" to indicate an aspirated "ah" while Americans pronounce just the opposite, spellings of assasa range from asar-sa, assar-sa or simply asasa.

"Pagoda" is the Burmese-English term for a wat or chedi -- the massive symmetrical dome or tower typically built over a priceless artefact. When used in Burma, "pagoda" is solid, and not open to entry; "temple", by contrast, has rooms. While Westerners today tend to use "pagoda" exclusively for Far Eastern Oriental-style tower-like storied structures, its original definition broadly embraced any domed or pyramidal religious building. "Stupa" is a small mound shrine, and is not comparable to a wat or chedi -- although you will find numerous, albeit incorrect, examples to the contrary.