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Lao script

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Lao
Type Abugida
Languages Lao language and other
Time period {{{time}}}
Parent systems Aramaic alphabet1
 → Brāhmī script
  → Pallava script
   → Khmer script
    → Thai alphabet
     → Lao
Unicode range U+0E80–U+0EFF
ISO 15924 Laoo
1The link between Brāhmī and Aramaic is somewhat controversial, being the best-supported of several uncertain hypotheses.
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.
The Brahmic script and its descendants

Brahmi

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

Contents

Consonants

The table below shows the Lao consonant letters with their phonetic value in the International Phonetic Alphabet, 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 l r r l
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 IPA BGN LC Unicode
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

* indicates variations no longer used in the reformed spelling

Lao in Unicode

The Unicode range for Lao is U+0E80 through U+0EFF.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
0E8 ຀ ກ ຂ ຃ ຄ ຅ ຆ ງ ຈ ຉ ຊ ຋ ຌ ຍ ຎ ຏ
0E9 ຐ ຑ ຒ ຓ ດ ຕ ຖ ທ ຘ ນ ບ ປ ຜ ຝ ພ ຟ
0EA ຠ ມ ຢ ຣ ຤ ລ ຦ ວ ຨ ຩ ສ ຫ ຬ ອ ຮ ຯ
0EB ະ ັ າ ຳ ິ ີ ຶ ື ຸ ູ ຺ ົ ຼ ຽ ຾ ຿
0EC ເ ແ ໂ ໃ ໄ ໅ ໆ ໇ ່ ້ ໊ ໋ ໌ ໍ ໎ ໏
0ED ໐ ໑ ໒ ໓ ໔ ໕ ໖ ໗ ໘ ໙ ໚ ໛ ໜ ໝ ໞ ໟ
0EE ໠ ໡ ໢ ໣ ໤ ໥ ໦ ໧ ໨ ໩ ໪ ໫ ໬ ໭ ໮ ໯
0EF ໰ ໱ ໲ ໳ ໴ ໵ ໶ ໷ ໸ ໹ ໺ ໻ ໼ ໽ ໾ ໿

Table cells with gray backgrounds represent reserved code points.

External links

See also

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Lao script from Wíkipedia. ©2006 by Wíkipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. View a list of authors or edit this article.

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