Lao
ອັກສອນລາວSample Characters
First 48 characters from Lao (U+0E81–U+0EDF)
About Lao
The Lao script is an abugida used to write the Lao language, the official language of Laos. It is closely related to the Thai script, both having descended from the Khmer script, and the two scripts remain mutually semi-legible to practiced readers.
Lao script is written left-to-right without spaces between words. It has 27 consonants, multiple vowel diacritics, and tone marks. Compared to Thai, Lao script has a somewhat simpler structure with fewer characters. Lao literature is strongly influenced by Pali Buddhist traditions.
Data sourced from the ISO 15924 registry, Unicode CLDR, and the Unicode Character Database.
Languages Using Lao 3
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of writing system is Lao?
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Compare Lao With Another Script
Direction, characters, languages — side by side.
Key Facts
- ISO Code
- Laoo
- ISO Number
- 356
- Script Type
- Abugida
- Direction
- Left-to-right
- Status
- Living
- Region
- Southeast Asian
- Characters
- 83
- Introduced
- 1300 CE
- Languages
- 3
- Total Speakers
- ~3M
Unicode Ranges
-
LaoU+0E81–U+0EDF
Script Properties
- Has Case
- No
- Cursive
- No
- Vowels
- inherent