Reference
GLOSSARY
Every Burmese term you will encounter in the rest of this guide, with pronunciation and meaning.
8 min readUpdated: 2026-04
Lethwei is steeped in Burmese language. Because it developed in isolation from English-speaking martial arts, many of its terms have no clean translation. This glossary gives you the original term, the Burmese script, a phonetic pronunciation, and a working definition. Skim it once before reading the rest of the guide and come back whenever a word stops you.
A
- Art of Nine Limbsကိုးအင်္ဂါ အနုပညာ[koh-ing-ga a-nu-pyin-nya]Art
- Nickname for Lethwei. The nine striking weapons are two fists, two elbows, two knees, two feet, and the head.
B
- Bandoဗန်ဒို/bàɴdò/[ban-doh]Art
- A comprehensive Myanmar martial art system encompassing striking, grappling, and weapons. Lethwei is considered the bareknuckle striking component within the broader Bando discipline.See also:Lethwei
- BareknuckleRule
- Fighting without boxing gloves. Hands are wrapped in gauze and tape for knuckle protection but the striking surface remains exposed, demanding greater precision.
- BKBEvent
- Bareknuckle Boxing. A related modern combat sport fought without gloves under regulated rules. Often compared to Lethwei, though BKB does not allow headbutts, elbows or knees.See also:Bareknuckle
C
- Clinchရင်လုံးချိတ်Technique
- Close-range grappling position where fighters grip each other's head and neck to control posture and land knees, elbows and headbutts.
- Corner Manကျောထောက်ဖက်[kyaw-htauk-phet]People
- A fighter's ringside support person responsible for advice between rounds, wound treatment, and the critical decision whether to call the two-minute injury timeout.See also:Two-Minute Timeout
D
- Dave LeducPeople
- Canadian fighter who became the first non-Myanmar Openweight Golden Belt champion in December 2016. Six-time Lethwei world champion and global ambassador for the sport.
- Dtae KwangTechnique
- Low calf kick. Aimed at the meat of the lead leg's calf or thigh, used to compromise an opponent's mobility over rounds rather than for an immediate finish.
- Dump Throwချိတ်ပစ်[chit-pyit]Technique
- A clinch takedown in which the fighter hooks or lifts the opponent and throws them forcefully to the ground. Legal under Lethwei rules and scores heavily in modern judged bouts.
E
- Elbow Slashတံတောင်ခုတ်ချက်[da-daung-khut-jet]Technique
- A downward cutting elbow strike delivered from above, aimed at slicing the opponent's forehead or brow to cause a cut and impair vision with blood.See also:Sok
G
- Gauze WrapsEquipment
- The only hand protection allowed in traditional Lethwei. Strips of gauze and tape are wrapped over the knuckles and wrists; no gloves are worn.
- Golden Beltရွှေခါးပတ်[shwe-kah-bat]Event
- The most prestigious award in traditional Lethwei. Organized by the Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation, awarded per weight class with the Openweight Golden Belt considered pound-for-pound supreme.
H
- Headbuttခေါင်းတိုက်[gaung-taik]Technique
- The ninth limb. Legal under traditional and most modern Lethwei rules. Delivered from the clinch or closing from punching range, using the hard frontal bone of the skull.
- Hneနှဲ[hne]Music
- A double-reed oboe-like wind instrument that carries the main melody during Lethwei music.
- Hpa-Anဘားအံ[pa-an]Place
- Capital of Kayin (Karen) State in southeastern Myanmar and a heartland for Karen Lethwei traditions. The region produces many celebrated traditional fighters.See also:Karen
I
- IFMAEvent
- International Federation of Muaythai Associations. The global governing body for Muay Thai that has worked with Lethwei organisations on cross-promotion and rule harmonisation.
- In-kyinEquipment
- A leaf used in traditional Myanmar fighter liniment. Combined with crushed roots and oil to make a warming pre-fight rub that gym lineages still pass down.
K
- Kao LoiTechnique
- Flying knee. A knee strike delivered in the air, usually in the clinch or closing a gap.
- Karenကရင်People
- An ethnic group of Myanmar whose communities have preserved Lethwei through generations, particularly in border areas. Many legendary fighters come from Karen villages.
- KlapTechnique
- Spinning heel kick or wheel kick. Rare in Lethwei but devastating when it lands; the bareknuckle context means a clean klap can fracture a jaw outright.
- Knockoutနော့ခ်အောက်Rule
- The only method of victory under traditional Lethwei rules. A fighter wins only by rendering the opponent unable to continue. No judges' scorecards, no decisions.
- Kyar Ba Nyeinကြားဘနျိုင်People
- Former Olympic boxer (1952) and the father of modern competitive Lethwei. Standardized rules and weight classes in the 1950s–60s.
L
- Lekkha Mounလက်ခမောင်း[let-khah-moun]Ritual
- A challenge gesture performed by slapping the inside of the bent elbow with a cupped hand, producing a sharp clap. Used to call out an opponent or taunt.
- Lethweiလက်ဝှေ့/lɛʔ.we/[let-way]Art
- Myanmar's traditional bareknuckle boxing, called the Art of Nine Limbs because it permits headbutts in addition to the eight limbs used in Muay Thai.
- Lethwei Yayလက်ဝှေ့ရေ/lɛʔ.we.je/[let-way yay]Ritual
- The traditional pre-fight dance performed by Lethwei fighters. It combines prayer, warm-up, ancestral invocation and psychological intimidation of the opponent.
- Low Kickအောက်ပိုင်းကန်ချက်[auk-pying-kan-jet]Technique
- A powerful shin kick delivered to the opponent's outer or inner thigh, designed to damage the leg muscles and reduce mobility over the course of a fight.
M
- Mae Sotမဲဆောက်[may-sawt]Place
- A Thai border town in Tak Province opposite Myawaddy, Myanmar. Serves as the main gateway for foreign Lethwei fighters entering Myanmar and a hub for cross-border fight events.
- Mandalayမန္တလေးPlace
- Cultural capital of Upper Myanmar and a historic heartland of royal-era Lethwei. Produces many of the country's top traditional fighters.
- MTLFEvent
- Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation. The governing body for traditional Lethwei in Myanmar and the organization behind the Golden Belt championships.
N
- Nabanနဘန်း[na-ban]Art
- Myanmar's traditional wrestling art. Shares the thaing umbrella with Lethwei but focuses entirely on grappling, throws, and ground control.
- Natနတ်/naʔ/[nat]Ritual
- Spirits in Myanmar folk religion. Many Lethwei fighters invoke nat spirits before bouts for protection, and traditional sandpit fights often coincide with nat festivals.
- Naypyidawနေပြည်တော်/nèpjìdɔ̀/[nay-pyi-daw]Place
- Myanmar's capital city since 2006. Hosts major WLC events at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium and government-backed Lethwei tournaments.See also:WLC
- NuatRitual
- Traditional Myanmar massage and post-fight body treatment. Trainers often deliver nuat themselves to reset a fighter's nervous system and check for hidden damage after a bout.
O
- OpenweightRule
- A division with no upper weight limit. The Openweight Golden Belt is the most prestigious Lethwei title and is often contested between significantly larger and smaller fighters.
P
- Pagoda Festivalဘုရားပွဲ[pya-bweh]Ritual
- Buddhist temple festival held throughout Myanmar, often featuring Lethwei fight cards alongside markets, theatre and music. The most common traditional venue for village-level bouts.
- Pat Waingပတ်ဝိုင်း[pat-waing]Music
- Circular frame of 21 tuned drums played by a single musician at the center of the hsaing waing orchestra.
- PlamTechnique
- Body lock from the clinch. The fighter wraps both arms around the opponent's torso to control posture and set up knees, takedowns, or short headbutts.
R
- Ring Doctorကွင်းဆရာဝန်[gwin-hsaya-wun]People
- The medical officer present at official Lethwei events, authorised to stop a fight if a competitor sustains dangerous injuries.
- Royal BoxerPeople
- Elite Lethwei fighters maintained at the Burmese royal court (c.1044–1885). Identified in childhood, trained from adolescence, employed as bodyguards, champions and military instructors.
S
- Sak Yantဆက်ယန့်[sak-yant]Ritual
- Sacred geometric tattoos believed to grant spiritual protection and power. Many Myanmar and Thai combat-sport fighters bear Sak Yant from Buddhist monks or spiritual masters.
- SandpitPlace
- The traditional Lethwei fighting venue: an open-air ring of sand or packed earth surrounded by wooden bleachers, used for village and festival fights.
- Sayarဆရာ[sa-ya]People
- Trainer or master in Myanmar martial arts. The relationship between sayar and tapnya is hierarchical and lifelong; addressing your trainer correctly is the first step into a Lethwei gym.See also:Tapnya
- SokTechnique
- Elbow strike. Lethwei elbows are delivered without elbow pads and are a primary cutting weapon.
- Sok KuTechnique
- Spinning back elbow. Sok = elbow, ku = spinning. Among the most spectacular finishes available in Lethwei when timed off an opponent's advance.See also:Sok
- Spinning Backfistလှည့်ထိုးချက်[hnyit-htoe-jet]Technique
- A rotational striking technique where the fighter spins 180 degrees and delivers a backfist to the opponent's head. High risk, high reward.
- Sweeps & ThrowsTechnique
- Off-balancing techniques legal in Lethwei: hip throws, sweeps, and clinch takedowns. Distinct from judo throws in that they are usually initiated from a striking exchange.
T
- Tapnyaတပည့်[ta-pyae]People
- Student or apprentice. A tapnya owes formal respect to their sayar and is expected to absorb both the techniques and the etiquette of the gym lineage.See also:Sayar
- TeepTechnique
- Front push-kick with the sole or ball of the foot, used to maintain range and disrupt an opponent's rhythm. Shared with Muay Thai.
- Thaingသိုင်း[thaing]Art
- Umbrella term for all Myanmar martial arts. Lethwei is the bareknuckle striking branch of thaing; Bando, Banshay, and Naban are sister disciplines.
- Thanakaသနပ်ခါး[tha-na-kha]Ritual
- A yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark, worn on the face by many Myanmar people. Sometimes applied before Lethwei bouts for sun protection and cultural identity.
- Theinbyu Gymnasiumသိမ်ဖြူအားကစားခန်းမ[thein-byu gym]Place
- Yangon's main indoor venue for Lethwei and boxing events, located in downtown Yangon. It has hosted countless Golden Belt and WLC cards.
- Thingyanသင်္ကြန်/θɪ̀ɴdʑàɴ/[thin-jan]Ritual
- The Myanmar New Year water festival held annually in April. Traditional Lethwei bouts are a highlight of Thingyan celebrations, especially in rural towns.
- Thone Gyiသုံးကြီး[thone-jee]Technique
- Animal fighting styles in Lethwei that mimic the movements of creatures such as the tiger, snake, and eagle. Practitioners adopt the posture, rhythm and attack patterns of each animal.
- Too TooPeople
- Myanmar Lethwei champion known for devastating clinch work and body attack. One of the most feared traditional sandpit fighters of the 2000s.
- Tun Tun Minထွန်းထွန်းမင်းPeople
- Myanmar Openweight Lethwei champion widely regarded as the greatest domestic fighter of the modern era. Fought the most-watched bouts in Lethwei history against Dave Leduc.
- Two-Minute TimeoutRule
- Unique Lethwei rule: if a fighter is knocked down and incapacitated, their corner may call a 2-minute injury timeout to revive them. The fighter then chooses to continue or concede.
U
- UFC Fight PassEvent
- The streaming service that has carried World Lethwei Championship events to a global audience since 2019.
W
- WLCEvent
- World Lethwei Championship. A modern international Lethwei promotion founded in Yangon in 2017, broadcast in 100+ countries and carried on UFC Fight Pass since 2019.
Y
- Yangonရန်ကုန်Place
- Former capital and largest city of Myanmar; home to several of the country's most influential Lethwei gyms and the headquarters of the World Lethwei Championship.
Continue Reading