Lao (ລາວ)

travel phpto to inspire Lao language study
A statue of Lord Brahma at a temple in Vientiane.

ALPHABET MATCHING GAME VOCABULARY FLASHCARDS

Why learn Lao?

Knowing Lao opens the door to art, music, dance, fashion, cuisine, film, philosophy, and science Your marketable skills in the global economy are improved when you master Lao. Analytical skills improve when you study Lao. Studying Lao offers a sense of the past: culturally and linguistically.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Lao?

*** NOTES *** Lao is the official language of Laos and is also spoken in north east Thailand. The language is so closely related to Thai that speakers of these languages can understand each other to a high degree. This is partly because Lao has borrowed lots of words from Thai. It also borrows from Sanskrit and Pali. Lao is a tonal language: the six tones help differentiate meaning in a largely monosyllabic vocabulary. The Vientiane dialect is generally considered the standard dialect, although this is not officially the case.

Lao Alphabet & Pronunciation


[k]

[d]

[f]

[h]
ແ-ະ
[ɛ]
ແ-ັ
[ɛ]
ໄ-
[aj]
ໃ-*
[aj]
ໄ-
[aj]

[kʰ,x]

[t]

[pʰ]

[ʔ]
-ົ
[o]
ໂ-ະ
[o]
ເ-ົາ
[aw]

[kʰ,x]

[tʰ]

[f]

[h]
-ັອ-
[ɔ]
ເ-າະ
[ɔ]
-ຳ
[am]

[ŋ]

[tʰ]

[m]
◌ະ
[a]
- ັ◌
[a]
ເ-ິ
[ɤ]

[tɕ]

[n]

[j]
_ິ
[i]
ເ-ັຍ
[iə]
-ັຽ-
[iə]

[s]

[b]

[r,l]
_ຶ
[ɯ]
ເ-ຶອ
[ɯə]

[s]

[p]

[l]
_ຸ
[u]
-ົວະ
[uə]
-ົວ-
[uə]

[ɲ]

[pʰ]

[ʋ,w]
ເ-ະ
[e]
ເ-ັ
[e]

Basic Phrases in Lao

Helloສະບາຍດີ (sabaidi)
Goodbyeລາກ່ອນ (la kon)
Yesແມ່ນແລ້ວ (aemnaelv)
Noບໍ່ (bo)
Excuse meຂໍ​ອະ​ໄພ (kho a phai)
Pleaseກະລຸນາ (kaluna)
Thank youຂອບ​ໃຈ (khob chai)
You are welcomeທ່ານຍິນດີຕ້ອນຮັບ (than nyinditonhab)
Do you speak englishເຈົ້າ​ເວົ້າ​ພາ​ສາ​ອັງ​ກິດ​ໄດ້​ບໍ່? (chao vao pha sa ang kid dai bo)
Do you understandເຈົ້າ​ເຂົ້າ​ໃຈ​ບໍ່? (chao khao chai bo)
I understandຂ້ອຍ​ເຂົ້າ​ໃຈ (khony khao chai)
I do not understandຂ້ອຍ​ບໍ່​ເຂົ້າ​ໃຈ (khony bo khao chai)
How are youສະ​ບາຍ​ດີ​ບໍ? (sa bai di bo)
Fine thanksລະອຽດ, ຂອບໃຈ! (laoiad khobchai)
What is your nameເຈົ້າ​ຊື່​ຫຍັງ? (chao su jang)
My name isຊື່​ຂອງ​ຂ້ອຍ​ແມ່ນ (su khong khony aemn)
Pleased to meet youຍິນ​ດີ​ທີ່​ໄດ້​ຮູ້​ຈັກ (nyin di thi dai hu chak)

Lao Grammar

Lao Nouns

Manຜູ້ຊາຍ (phusai)
Womanແມ່ຍິງ (aemnying)
Boyເດັກຊາຍ (deksai)
Girlເດັກ​ຍິງ (dek nying)
Catແມວ (aemv)
Dogໝາ (ma)
Fishປາ (pa)
Waterນ້ໍາ (noa)
Milkນົມ (nom)
Eggໄຂ່ (khai)
Houseເຮືອນ (heuon)
Flowerດອກໄມ້ (dokmai)
Treeຕົ້ນໄມ້ (tonmai)
Shirtເສື້ອ (seu)
Pantsກາງເກງ (kang keng)

Lao Adjectives

Colors in Lao

Blackສີດໍາ (sidoa)
Whiteສີຂາວ (sikhav)
Redສີແດງ (siaedng)
Orangeສີແສດ (si aesd)
Yellowສີເຫຼືອງ (si heuong)
Greenສີຂຽວ (sikhiav)
Blueສີຟ້າ (sifa)
Purpleສີມ່ວງ (si muang)
Pinkສີບົວ (si bua)
Grayສີຂີ້ເຖົ່າ (si khitheoa)
Brownສີນ້ ຳ ຕານ (sin am tan)

Numbers in Lao

Zeroສູນ (sun)
Oneໜຶ່ງ (nung)
Twoສອງ (song)
Threeສາມ (sam)
Fourສີ່ (si)
Fiveຫ້າ (ha)
Sixຫົກ (hok)
Sevenເຈັດ (ched)
Eightແປດ (aepd)
Nineເກົ້າ (kao)
Tenສິບ (sib)
Elevenສິບເອັດ (siboed)
Twelveສິບສອງ (sibsong)
Twentyຊາວ (sav)
Thirtyສາມສິບ (samsib)
Fortyສີ່ສິບ (si sib)
Fiftyຫ້າສິບ (hasib)
Sixtyຫົກສິບ (hok sib)
Seventyເຈັດສິບ (ched sib)
Eightyແປດສິບ (aepd sib)
Ninetyເກົ້າສິບ (kaosib)
Hundredຮ້ອຍ (hony)
Thousandພັນ (phan)

Lao Verbs

To beຈະ (cha)
To haveມີ (mi)
To wantຕ້ອງການ (tongkan)
To needຕ້ອງ​ການ (tong kan)
To helpຊ່ວຍ​ເຫຼືອ (suany heu)
To goໄປ (pai)
To comeມາ (ma)
To eatກິນ (kin)
To drinkດື່ມ (dum)
To speakເວົ້າ (vao)

Building Simple Sentences

More Complex Lao Sentences

Andແລະ (lae)
Orຫຼື (ru)
Butແຕ່ວ່າ (aetva)
Becauseເພາະວ່າ (phova)
Withກັບ (kab)
Alsoຍັງ (nyang)
Howeverເຖິງຢ່າງໃດກໍ່ຕາມ (thoeng yangdaikotam)
Neitherທັງ (thang)
Norຫລື (lu)
Ifຖ້າ (tha)
Thenຫຼັງຈາກນັ້ນ (rangchaknan)

Useful Lao Vocabulary

Lao Questions

Whoຜູ້ທີ່ (phuthi)
Whatແມ່ນ​ຫຍັງ (aemn jang)
Whenເມື່ອ​ໃດ​ (meu dai)
Whereບ່ອນທີ່ (bonthi)
Whyເປັນຫຍັງ (penjang)
Howແນວໃດ (aenuadai)
How manyຫຼາຍ​ປານ​ໃດ (rai pan dai)
How muchເທົ່າ​ໃດ (theoa dai)

Days of the Week in Lao

Mondayວັນຈັນ (vanchan)
Tuesdayວັນອັງຄານ (vnoangkhan)
Wednesdayວັນພຸດ (vanphud)
Thursdayວັນພະຫັດ (vanphahad)
Fridayວັນ​ສຸກ (van suk)
Saturdayວັນເສົາ (vansao)
Sundayວັນອາທິດ (vnoathid)
Yesterdayມື້ວານນີ້ (muuaanni)
Todayມື້​ນີ້ (mu ni)
Tomorrowມື້ອື່ນ (muun)

Months in Lao

Januaryມັງກອນ (mangkon)
Februaryເດືອນກຸມພາ (deuonkumpha)
Marchມີນາ (mina)
Aprilເດືອນເມສາ (deuonmesa)
Mayພຶດສະພາ (phudsapha)
Juneມິຖຸນາ (mithuna)
Julyເດືອນກໍລະກົດ (deuonkolakod)
Augustສິງຫາ (singha)
Septemberກັນຍາ (knaia)
Octoberເດືອນຕຸລາ (deuontula)
Novemberພະຈິກ (phachik)
Decemberທັນວາ (thanuaa)

Seasons in Lao

Winterລະ​ດູ​ຫນາວ (la du nav)
Springລະດູໃບໄມ້ປົ່ງ (ladu baimaipong)
Summerລະດູຮ້ອນ (laduhon)
Autumnລະດູໃບໄມ້ປົ່ງ (ladu baimaipong)

Telling Time in Lao

What time is itຈັກໂມງແລ້ວ? (chakomng aelv)
Hoursຊົ່ວໂມງ (souaomng)
Minutesນາທີ (nathi)
Secondsວິນາທີ (vinathi)
O clockໂມງ (omng)
Halfເຄິ່ງ ໜຶ່ງ (khoeng nung)
Quarter pastໄຕມາດທີ່ຜ່ານມາ (tai mad thiphanma)
Beforeກ່ອນ (kon)
Afterຫລັງຈາກ (langchak)