Romanization of Lao

Romanisation of Lao (Lao: ການໂຣມັນພາສາລາວ) is the transcription form from Lao script to Latin alphabet.

History

There was no romanisation system in the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names for Laotian script and no national romanisation system in Laos until 1996. BGN and PCGN joined Commission Nationale de Toponymie (National Commission of Toponym) and finally established a system for Lao romanisation.[1]

Tables

Source:

Consonants

Character Initial position Final position
IPA BGN/PCGN 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

References

  1. ^ a b c "Lao" (PDF). Institute of the Estonian Language. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  2. ^ "Lao" (PDF). Library of Congress.

Further reading

  • Unicode code chart for Lao
  • ANSI Z39.35-1979, System for the Romanization of Lao, Khmer, and Pali; ISBN 0-88738-968-6.