Romanization of Lao

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Lao romanization systems are transcriptions of the Lao script into the Latin alphabet.

Tables

Consonants

The table below shows the Lao consonant letters and their transcriptions according to IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet,) BGN/PCGN romanization (1966 system) and LC (US ALA-LC romanization,) as well as the transcriptions used in the Unicode names of the letters, and in official Lao government usage.

Character Initial position Final position
IPA BGN LC IPA BGN LC
/k/ k /k̚/ k
/kʰ/ kh
/kʰ/ kh
/ŋ/ ng /ŋ/ ng
/tɕ/ ch
/s/ s
/s/ x s
/ɲ/ gn ny /j/ y y
/d/ d /t̚/ t d
/t/ t
/tʰ/ th
/tʰ/ th
/n/ n /n/ ne n
/b/ b /p̚/ p b
/p/ p
/pʰ/ ph
/f/ f
/pʰ/ ph
/f/ f
/m/ m /m/ m
/j/ y
/r/, /l/ r
/l/ l
/ʋ/, /w/ v v, w /w/ w w
/h/ h
/ʔ/
/h/ h h

Vowel nuclei

The table below shows the Lao vowel nuclei, combined with the consonant ກ.

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 ເກັຽະ/ເກັຍ /iaʔ/ ia ia ເກັຽ/ເກຍ/ກຽກ /ia/ ia īa
ກຶ /ɯ/ u ư y ກື /ɯː/ u ư̄ yy ເກຶອ /ɯaʔ/ ua ưa ເກືອ /ɯa/ ua ư̄a
ກຸ /u/ ou u u ກູ /uː/ ou ū uu ກົວະ /uaʔ/ oua ua ກົວ/ ກວກ /ua/ 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 ກໍ/ກອກ /ɔː/ o ō̜
ເກິ/ເກິະ /ɤ/ eu œ ເກີ /ɤː/ eu œ̄
ໄກ/ໃກ/ກັຍ /aj/ ai ai ai/ay ກາຍ/ກາຽ /aːj/ ai āi
ເກົາ /aw/ ao ao
ກໍາ /am/ am am am

See also

  • Report on the current status of United Nations romanization systems for geographical names - Lao (PDF; this document refers to the Lao Commission Nationale de Toponymie. There is no Lao romanization system officially adopted by the UN.)
  • Library of Congress romanization table for Lao (PDF)
  • Unicode code chart for Lao
  • ANSI Z39.35-1979, System for the Romanization of Lao, Khmer, and Pali; ISBN 0-88738-968-6.