Lao_script

Lao script

The Lao script is used mainly to write the Lao language.

The minority languages of Laos are also written in the Lao script, and officially it is the only script to write them in Laos, but many speakers of Hmong prefer the Latin alphabet.

The Lao script is very similar to the Thai alphabet, but Lao's spelling system is simpler and more phonetic, partially due to a spelling reform carried out in the 1960s.

Consonants

The table below shows the Lao consonant letters with their phonetic value in the IPA, and transcriptions according to the US Board on Geographic Names and the British Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (BGN/PCGN), the US Library of Congress (ALA/LC) and the transcriptions used in the Unicode names of the letters.

Character	IPA	BGN/PCGN	ALA/LC	Unicode
ກ	k	k	k/k	k
ຂ	kʰ	kh	kh/k	kh
ຄ	kʰ	kh	kh/k	kh
ງ	ŋ	ng	ng/ng	ng
ຈ	ʧ	ch	ch/t	c
ສ	s	s	s/t	s
ຊ	s	x	s/t	s
ຍ	ɲ	gn/y	ny/—	ny
ດ	d	d/t	d/t	d
ຕ	t	t	t/t	t
ຖ	tʰ	th	th/t	th
ທ	tʰ	th	th/t	th
ນ	n	n	n/n	n
ບ	b	b/p	b/p	b
ປ	p	p	p/p	p
ຜ	pʰ	ph	ph/p	ph
ຝ	f	f	f/p	f
ພ	pʰ	ph	ph/p	ph
ຟ	f	f	f/p	f
ມ	m	m	m/m	m
ຢ	j	y	y	y
ຣ	r	r	r	r
ລ	l	l	l	l
ວ	w	v/o	v	w
ຫ	h	h	h	h
ອ	—	—		o
ຮ	h	h	h	h

Vowel nuclei

The table below shows the Lao vowel nuclei, combined with the consonant ກ. (provisional version)

	IPA	BGN	LC	Unicode		IPA	BGN	LC	Unicode		IPA	BGN	LC	Unicode		BGN	LC
ກະ/ກັກ	a	a	a	a	ກາ	aː	a	ā	aa
ກິ	i	i	i	i	ກີ	iː	i	ī	ii	ເກັຍະ/ເກັຽະ*/ກັຽກ	iə	ia	ia		ເກັຍ/ເກັຽ*/ກຽກ	ia	īa
ກຶ	ɯ	u	ư	y	ກື	ɯː	u	ư̄	yy	ເກຶອະ/ເກຶອກ	ɯə	ua	ưa		ເກືອ	ua	ư̄a
ກຸ	u	ou	u	u	ກູ	uː	ou	ū	uu	ກົວະ/ກັວກ	uə	oua	ua		ກົວ/ ກວກ	oua	ūa
ເກະ/ເກັກ	e	é	e		ເກ	eː	é	ē	e
ແກະ/ແກັກ	ɛ	è	æ		ແກ	ɛː	è	ǣ	ei
ໂກະ/ກົກ	o	ô	o		ໂກ	oː	ô	ō	o
ເກາະ/ກັອກ	ɔ	o	ǫ		ກໍ/ກອກ	ɔː	o	ǭ
ເກິະ/ເກິກ	ɤ	eu	œ		ເກີ/ ເກີກ	ɤː	eu	œ̄
										ໄກ/ໃກ/ກັຍ*	ai	ai	ai	ai/ay	ກາຍ/ກາຽ*	ai	āi
ເກົາ	au	ao	ao
ກໍາ	am	am	am	am