LAO SCRIPT

(Redirected from Lao alphabet)
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

Vowel nuclei

Lao in Unicode

External links

See also

Consonants

The table below shows the Lao consonant letters with their phonetic value in the ''International Phonetic Alphabet'' (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/k	kh
ຄ		kh	kh/k	kh
ງ	ŋ	ng	ng/ng	ng
ຈ		ch	ch/t	c
ສ	s	s	s/t	s
ຊ	s	x	s/t	s
ຍ		gn/y	ny/—	ny
ດ	d	d/t	d/t	d
ຕ	t	t	t/t	t
ຖ		th	th/t	th
ທ		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/p	ph
ຝ		f	f/p	f
ພ		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		u	ư	y	ກື		u		yy	ເກຶອະ/ເກຶອກ		ua	ưa		ເກືອ		ua
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		è	æ		ແກ		è		ei
ໂກະ/ກົກ	o	ô	o		ໂກ	oː	ô	ō	o
ເກາະ/ກັອກ		o			ກໍ/ກອກ		o
ເກິະ/ເກິກ		eu	œ		ເກີ/ ເກີກ		eu
									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

★ Omniglot - Lao alphabet

★ The Lao Alphabet at SEAsite

★ Laos - language situation by N. J. Enfield

★ Virtual Lao Keyboard

★ Lao Range: 0E80 - 0EFF, from the Unicode Consortium

See also

★ Brahmic family