also: ビルマ
noun
Obsolete Japanese name for Burma (modern Myanmar). The kanji form 緬甸 is historical and rarely used today; the katakana form ビルマ was more common in the early 20th century but is now also obsolete.
戦前の地図には「緬甸」と書かれていることがある。
Pre-war maps sometimes have '緬甸' written on them.
祖母はビルマという呼び方をよく使っていた。
My grandmother often used the name 'Burma'.
Katakana spelling reflecting the English name 'Burma'; also an obsolete term.
Modern standard Japanese name for Myanmar, replacing the obsolete 緬甸/ビルマ.
The kanji spelling 緬甸 is a historical Japanese borrowing from Chinese, where the same characters were used for Burma. The reading めんでん is the on'yomi of these characters. The katakana form ビルマ comes from English 'Burma'.