Lao alphabet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lao | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type: | Abugida | |
| Languages: | Lao language and other | |
| Time period: | ||
| Unicode range: | U+0E80–U+0EFF | |
| ISO 15924 code: | Laoo | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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 | 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 | pʰ | 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 |
[edit] 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
[edit] Lao in Unicode
The Unicode range for Lao is U+0E80 ... U+0EFF.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | ||
| E80 | | ກ | ຂ | | ຄ | | ຆ | ງ | ຈ | ຉ | ຊ | | ຌ | ຍ | ຎ | ຏ | |
| E90 | ຐ | ຑ | ຒ | ຓ | ດ | ຕ | ຖ | ທ | ຘ | ນ | ບ | ປ | ຜ | ຝ | ພ | ຟ | |
| EA0 | ຠ | ມ | ຢ | ຣ | | ລ | | ວ | ຨ | ຩ | ສ | ຫ | ຬ | ອ | ຮ | ຯ | |
| EB0 | ະ | ັ | າ | ຳ | ິ | ີ | ຶ | ື | ຸ | ູ | ຺ | ົ | ຼ | ຽ | | | |
| EC0 | ເ | ແ | ໂ | ໃ | ໄ | | ໆ | | ່ | ້ | ໊ | ໋ | ໌ | ໍ | ໎ | | |
| ED0 | ໐ | ໑ | ໒ | ໓ | ໔ | ໕ | ໖ | ໗ | ໘ | ໙ | | | ໜ | ໝ | ໞ | ໟ | |
| EE0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| EF0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
[edit] External links
- Omniglot - Lao alphabet
- The Lao Alphabet at SEAsite
- Laos - language situation by N. J. Enfield
- Virtual Lao Keyboard
