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Alphabet Lao
Lao Script
The Lao script is an abugida derived from the Khmer script, which in turn descended from ancient Brahmi. It has 27 consonants organized into three tone classes, and 28 vowels. Like Thai, vowel signs appear around the consonant. It is written left to right without spaces between words.
Consonants
| Caractère | Nom | Romanisation | Prononciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ກ | Ko | k | like 'k' in 'key' |
| ຂ | Kho (high) | kh | like 'kh' (aspirated) |
| ຄ | Kho (low) | kh / g | like 'g' in 'go' |
| ງ | Ngo | ng | like 'ng' in 'sing' |
| ຈ | Co | ch | like 'ch' in 'cheese' |
| ສ | So (high) | s | like 's' in 'sun' |
| ຊ | So (low) | s / z | like 'z' in 'zebra' |
| ຍ | Nyo | ny | like 'ny' in 'canyon' |
| ດ | Do | d | like 'd' in 'dog' |
| ຕ | To | t | like 't' in 'top' |
| ຖ | Tho (high) | th | like 't' (aspirated) |
| ທ | Tho (low) | th / d | like 'd' (breathy) |
| ນ | No | n | like 'n' in 'night' |
| ບ | Bo | b | like 'b' in 'book' |
| ປ | Po | p | like 'p' in 'pen' |
| ຜ | Pho (high) | ph | like 'p' (aspirated) |
| ຝ | Fo (high) | f | like 'f' in 'fan' |
| ພ | Pho (low) | ph / b | like 'b' (breathy) |
| ຟ | Fo (low) | f / v | like 'v' in 'van' |
| ມ | Mo | m | like 'm' in 'moon' |
| ຢ | Yo | y | like 'y' in 'yes' |
| ລ | Lo | l | like 'l' in 'lamp' |
| ວ | Vo | w / v | like 'w' in 'water' |
| ຫ | Ho (high) | h | like 'h' in 'house' |
| ອ | O | ʾ / o | a vowel base or glottal stop |
| ຮ | Ho (low) | h | like 'h' (low tone class) |
| ຣ | Ro | r | a rolled 'r' |
Tone Marks
| Caractère | Nom | Romanisation | Prononciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ່ | Mai Ek | mai ek | marks the low or falling tone |
| ້ | Mai Tho | mai tho | marks the falling or high tone |
| ໊ | Mai Ti | mai ti | marks the high tone |
| ໋ | Mai Catawa | mai catawa | marks the rising tone |