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
- BareknuckleRule
- Fighting without boxing gloves. Hands are wrapped in gauze and tape for knuckle protection but the striking surface remains exposed, demanding greater precision.
C
- Clinchရင်လုံးချိတ်Technique
- Close-range grappling position where fighters grip each other's head and neck to control posture and land knees, elbows and headbutts.
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.
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.
- Hsaing Waingဆိုင်းဝိုင်း/sʰáɪŋ.waɪŋ/[hsaing-waing]Music
- Traditional Burmese orchestra that accompanies Lethwei bouts. Centered around a ring of 21 tuned drums (pat waing), with gongs, cymbals, oboe (hne) and clappers.See also:Pat Waing, Hne
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.
- 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.See also:Art of Nine Limbs, 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.See also:Lekkha Moun, Hsaing Waing
M
- 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.
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
- Pat Waingပတ်ဝိုင်း[pat-waing]Music
- Circular frame of 21 tuned drums played by a single musician at the center of the hsaing waing orchestra.
R
- 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
- 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.
- SokTechnique
- Elbow strike. Lethwei elbows are delivered without elbow pads and are a primary cutting weapon.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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