Lao Script

The alphabet

Consonants

Consonants are divided into three classes which help to determine the tone of a syllable (indicated by the numbers below). The sounds represented by some consonants change when they are used at the end of a syllable (indicated by the letters on the right of the slash below). The consonants can all be used at the beginning of a syllable but only some can be used at the end of a syllable.

The consonants in the final row are compounds and conjuncts used as alternatives to the basic consonants.

Vowel diacritics (with k)

Numerals

Tone indication

	Open syllables			Closed syllables *
	unmarked			short vowel	long vowel
Class 1	low	mid	high falling	high	low falling
Class 2	low rising	mid	low falling	high	low falling
Class 3	high	mid	high falling	mid	high falling

• Closed syllables are those ending with p, t or k

Additional info

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