Arakanese, ethnic group centred in the Arakan coastal region of Myanmar (Burma), in the state of Rakhine. Most Arakanese speak an unusual variety of the Burmese language that includes significant differences from Burmese pronunciation and vocabulary.
An independent Arakanese kingdom was probably established as early as the 4th century ce and was led at various times by Muslim as well as Buddhist rulers. Modern Arakanese continue to follow distinctive traditions and to celebrate this part of their history. The huge Mahamuni statue (now in Mandalay) is considered by Buddhist Arakanese to be their national image and is alleged to predate the Burmese kingdom centred at Pagan (1044–1287 ce) by a millennium.
Eventually the Mongols, and later the Portuguese, invaded Arakan. In 1785 Burmese forces conquered the Arakanese kingdom and carried the Mahamuni statue off to Mandalay. The Arakan region was ceded to the British in 1826 through the Treaty of Yandabo. When Myanmar became independent from British rule in 1948, the province in which the Arakanese are dominant was named Arakan. This name was changed to Rakhine in the 1990s. See also Mrohaung, Arakanese Kingdom of.
In the 2010s, Arakanese numbered approximately three million individuals, most of whom lived in Myanmar. Roughly two-thirds of the Arakanese are Buddhist; most of the remaining Arakanese follow Islam. The Muslim Arakanese are known as Rohingyas, a name based on the historical name of the region, Rohang.