The Lao alphabet looks like art. Its graceful, looping characters are closely related to Thai script, and learners of one often find the other familiar.
Good news for learners: Lao has fewer consonants than Thai (27 vs 44), making it one of the more approachable Southeast Asian scripts. But like Thai, it's a tonal language with a class system that determines how tones work.
Lao has 13 vowels and 27 consonants (5 high, 8 middle, 14 low class) and 5 tone marks for 6 tones.
Overview of the Lao Script
Lao is an abugida - each consonant carries an inherent vowel sound that can be modified by vowel signs and tone marks. The script descended from ancient Brahmi through the Khmer script.
| Feature | Lao |
|---|
| Consonants | 27 |
| Vowel signs | 28 |
| Tone marks | 4 |
| Tones | 6 |
| Direction | Left to right |
| Spaces | Between phrases |
The most important concept is the consonant class system - every consonant belongs to one of three classes (high, middle, low), which affects tone pronunciation.
The Three Consonant Classes
Like Thai, Lao divides consonants into three classes that determine tone rules:
| Class | Characteristics | Effect on Tone |
|---|
| High | Aspirated consonants | Higher starting pitch |
| Middle | Unaspirated stops | Neutral pitch |
| Low | Voiced consonants, sonorants | Lower starting pitch |
The class system means the same tone mark produces different tones depending on the consonant's class.
| High Class | Middle Class | Low Class |
|---|
| | |
| Higher starting pitch | Neutral pitch | Lower starting pitch |
The 27 Consonants
| Letter | Name | Meaning | Pronunciation | Class |
|---|
| ກ | ກ ໄກ່ | Chicken | k- | middle |
| ຂ | ຂ ໄຂ່ | Egg | kh- | high |
| ຄ | ຄ ຄວາຍ | Water Buffalo | kh- | low |
| ງ | ງ ງູ | Snake | ng- | low |
| ຈ | ຈ ຈານ | Plate | ch- | middle |
| ສ | ສ ໂສ້ | Chain | s- | low |
| ຊ | ຊ ຊ້າງ | Elephant | s- | low |
| ຍ | ຍ ຍົມ | Grass | ny- | low |
| ດ | ດ ດົງ | Drum | d- | middle |
| ຕ | ຕ ຕາ | Turtle | t- | middle |
| ຖ | ຖ ຖານ | Pagoda | th- | high |
| ທ | ທ ທຸງ | Flag | th- | low |
| ນ | ນ ນົກ | Nose | n- | low |
| ບ | ບ ປາ | Fish | b- | middle |
| ປ | ປ ປາ | Fish | p- | middle |
High Class
High Class Consonants
ຂkh-ຖth-ຜph-ຝf-ຫh-
Middle Class
Middle Class Consonants
ກk-ຈch-ດd-ຕt-ບb-ປp-ຢy-ອ-
Low Class
Low Class Consonants
ຄkh-ງng-ສs-ຊs-ຍny-ທth-ນn-ພph-ຟf-ມm-ຣr-ລl-ວv-ຮh-
The 6 Tones
Lao has six distinct tones. Unlike Chinese, where tone marks appear on every syllable, Lao tones are determined by a combination of:
- Consonant class (high/middle/low)
- Vowel length (short/long)
- Syllable type (live/dead)
- Tone marks (if present)
| Tone | Name | Description | Example |
|---|
| 1 | Low | Low, level pitch | ມາ (maa) - to come |
| 2 | Mid | Middle, level pitch | ໝາ (maa) - dog |
| 3 | High | High, level pitch | ມ້າ (maa) - horse |
| 4 | Rising | Low to high | — |
| 5 | High Falling | High to mid | — |
| 6 | Low Falling | Mid to low | — |
Tone Marks
Lao uses four tone marks placed above the consonant:
| Mark | Name | Example |
|---|
| mai ek | ກ |
| ່ | mai tho | ກ່ |
| ້ | mai tri | ກ້ |
| ໊ | mai chattawa | ກ໊ |
| ໋ | mai pent | ກ໋ |
Vowels
Lao vowels can appear in different positions around the consonant:
| Position | Example | Description |
|---|
| After | ກາ (kaa) | Vowel follows consonant |
| Above | ກິ (ki) | Vowel sits above consonant |
| Below | ກຸ (ku) | Vowel sits below consonant |
| Before | ເກ (ke) | Vowel precedes consonant |
| Around | ເກົາ (kao) | Vowel surrounds consonant |
| Letter | Name | Sound | Length |
|---|
| ະ | ະ | a | short |
| າ | າ | aa | long |
| ິ | ິ | i | short |
| ີ | ີ | ii | long |
| ຶ | ຶ | ue | short |
| ື | ື | uu | long |
| ຸ | ຸ | u | short |
| ູ | ູ | uu | long |
| ເ | ເ | e | short |
| ແ | ແ | ae | long |
| ໂ | ໂ | o | short |
| ໃ | ໃ | ai | long |
| ໄ | ໄ | ai | long |
Relationship to Thai
Lao and Thai scripts share a common ancestor and are remarkably similar:
| Feature | Lao | Thai |
|---|
| Consonants | 27 | 44 |
| Tones | 6 | 5 |
| Vowel system | Similar | Similar |
| Writing style | More rounded | More angular |
If you know Thai, you'll recognize many Lao letters immediately. The differences are mostly in style - Lao letters tend to be rounder and more flowing.
Learning Tips
What's Easier About Lao
- Fewer consonants than Thai (27 vs 44)
- Simplified spelling - Lao underwent spelling reforms
- Phonetic consistency - less historical spelling
- Similar to Thai - transferable skills
What's Challenging
- Six tones - one more than Thai
- Consonant classes - affects tone rules
- Limited learning resources - fewer than Thai
- Vowel positioning - takes practice to read fluently
Recommended Learning Order
- First: Master the 5 basic vowels (ະ, າ, ິ, ີ, ຸ)
- Second: Learn middle class consonants (easiest tones)
- Third: Add high class consonants
- Fourth: Learn low class consonants
- Fifth: Practice tone rules with simple words
Common Words to Practice
| Lao | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|
| ສະບາຍດີ | sabaidii | Hello |
| ຂອບໃຈ | khopjai | Thank you |
| ແມ່ນ | maen | Yes |
| ບໍ່ | bo | No |
| ລາວ | lao | Laos |
| ພາສາລາວ | phasa lao | Lao language |
| ນ້ຳ | nam | Water |
| ເຂົ້າ | khao | Rice |
Practice Tools
Quick Reference
All 27 Consonants by Class
High Class:
Middle Class:
Low Class:
ຄkh-ງng-ສs-ຊs-ຍny-ທth-ນn-ພph-ຟf-ມm-ຣr-ລl-ວv-ຮh-
Ready to start? Our Lao Alphabet Practice tool uses spaced repetition to help you memorize all 27 consonants efficiently.
