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Lao Vowels: Long, Short and Written Around the Consonant

Lao vowels as short and long pairs: each vowel sign, final and medial forms, the silent ອ carrier, the special vowels and how length changes a word.

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Key takeaways

  • Wikipedia's Lao language article says every Lao vowel makes a phonemic length distinction.
  • Several short vowels change form inside a syllable: final ◌ະ becomes medial ◌ັ, as in ຫັກ.
  • Vowels cannot stand alone, so the silent consonant ອ carries a vowel at the start of a word.
  • The special vowels ໄ◌, ໃ◌, ເ◌ົາ and ◌ໍາ write ai, ai, ao and am.
  • Length is part of the word: ຫັກ hák 'break' and ຫາກ 'if' differ in vowel length and in tone.

Lao vowels are easiest to learn as pairs. Wikipedia's Lao language article states that all Lao vowels make a phonemic length distinction, so nearly every vowel has a short and a long partner, and the script writes them with related signs. Add the fact that signs sit before, after, above and below the consonant, and that a few change shape inside a word, and you have most of the system. This guide works through the pairs, the shape changes and the special vowels. Romanisations follow the BGN/PCGN column of Wikipedia's Lao script table; the dotted circle ◌ stands for any consonant.

Short and long pairs, side by side

Short IPA Long IPA BGN/PCGN
◌ະ / ◌ັ◌ a ◌າ aː a
◌ິ i ◌ີ iː i
◌ຶ ɯ ◌ື ɯː u
◌ຸ u ◌ູ uː ou
ເ◌ະ / ເ◌ັ◌ e ເ◌ eː é
ແ◌ະ / ແ◌ັ◌ ɛ ແ◌ ɛː è
ໂ◌ະ / ◌ົ◌ o ໂ◌ oː ô
ເ◌າະ / ◌ັອ◌ ɔ ◌ໍ / ◌ອ◌ ɔː o
ເ◌ິ ɤʔ ເ◌ີ ɤː eu
ເ◌ັຍ iaʔ ເ◌ຍ / ◌ຽ◌ ia ia
ເ◌ຶອ ɯaʔ ເ◌ືອ ɯa ua
◌ົວະ uaʔ ◌ົວ / ◌ວ◌ ua oua

Two things make the table easier than it looks. First, many pairs differ by a single stroke: ◌ິ and ◌ີ, ◌ຶ and ◌ື, ◌ຸ and ◌ູ. Second, the short member of a pair often just adds ◌ະ to the long one: ເ◌ is long é, ເ◌ະ is short. Wikipedia notes that, as in Thai, ◌ະ represents a glottal stop after a vowel, and the Lao language article explains why that matters: a short vowel must be followed by a consonant, and a final glottal stop can only follow a short vowel.

Note that the romanisation column does not show length. A stands for both ◌ະ and ◌າ, which is one reason to learn the script rather than rely on romanised spelling.

Final and medial forms: why ◌ະ becomes ◌ັ

Wikipedia notes that some vowels change form depending on whether they come at the end of a syllable or in the middle, before a final consonant. The table above shows both where they differ. Short a is ◌ະ at the end of a syllable but the small mark ◌ັ, called mai kan, when a consonant follows, as in ຫັກ below. Short o is ໂ◌ະ at the end but ◌ົ, mai kong, before a final consonant. Long ɔː is ◌ໍ when final and ◌ອ◌ when medial, and long ia is ເ◌ຍ when final and ◌ຽ◌ when medial.

The silent ອ and the named vowel marks

Lao vowels cannot stand alone or begin a syllable. Wikipedia explains that the silent consonant ອ, which can also function as a vowel in its own right, is used as the base when a word begins with a vowel sound. The vowels are named by saying sala before the sign, and a few have their own names:

  • ໃ◌ mai muan, "rolled stem"
  • ໄ◌ mai mai, "unwound stem"
  • ◌ົ mai kong, "straight stem"
  • ◌ັ mai kan, "ear stem"
  • ◌ຽ wilam, and ◌ໍ nikkhahit

Wikipedia adds a historical note: the 1975 spelling reform made the main vowels explicit in writing, where earlier Lao relied more on an inherent vowel built into the consonant.

Four special vowels: ໄ◌, ໃ◌, ເ◌ົາ and ◌ໍາ

Sign IPA Romanised Older spelling
ໄ◌ aj ai ◌ັຍ
ໃ◌ aj ai ◌ັຍ
ເ◌ົາ aw ao ◌ັວ
◌ໍາ am am ◌ັມ

ໄ◌ and ໃ◌ sound the same in the standard language, which makes them a spelling matter rather than a pronunciation one. Wikipedia notes one exception: in the Northern, Luang Prabang, dialect ໃ◌ is pronounced [aɰ], and in the Northeastern, Houaphanh, dialect it is [ɯ].

A worked example: four words built from h and k

Wikipedia's Lao language article lists four words with the same consonant sounds, h and k, that differ only in vowel length and in the initial letter used:

  1. ຫັກ /hák/, "break": medial short ◌ັ, high tone.
  2. ຮັກ /hàk/, "love": the same short vowel after a different h-letter, low tone.
  3. ຫາກ /hȁːk/, "if, inevitably": long ◌າ, mid-falling tone.
  4. ຮາກ /hâːk/, "vomit, root": long ◌າ, falling tone.

Swap ◌ັ for ◌າ and both the vowel length and the tone change. That is why Lao tone rules treats vowel length as one of the inputs to tone, alongside consonant class, tone marks and syllable type. The same article notes that syllables ending in p, t or k take one of four tones, and those ending in a glottal stop take one of only two.

Learning to read the vowels in the app

Learn Lao Language Fast & Easy starts with the Lao script, teaching character recognition, the sounds attached to each character and reading useful words with interactive practice. It is free with ads and has no in-app purchases, and it is one of our language-learning apps. For the consonant classes and tone marks, see the Lao alphabet explained, and for how the system compares with its neighbour, Lao vs Thai.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Which Lao vowels are short and which are long?
They come in pairs. Wikipedia's Lao script table lists short ◌ະ, ◌ິ, ◌ຶ, ◌ຸ, ເ◌ະ, ແ◌ະ, ໂ◌ະ and ເ◌າະ against long ◌າ, ◌ີ, ◌ື, ◌ູ, ເ◌, ແ◌, ໂ◌ and ◌ໍ, plus short and long forms of the diphthongs ia, ua and the ɯa sound.
Why do some Lao vowel signs change shape in the middle of a word?
Wikipedia notes that some vowels have different final and medial forms. Short a is ◌ະ when nothing follows but ◌ັ when a final consonant follows, and short o is ໂ◌ະ at the end but ◌ົ before a final consonant.
How do you write a Lao word that begins with a vowel sound?
With the silent consonant ອ as a base. Wikipedia explains that Lao vowels cannot stand alone or begin a syllable, so ອ, which can also act as a vowel itself, carries the vowel sign.
Does vowel length change the meaning of a Lao word?
Yes. Wikipedia's Lao language article lists ຫັກ /hák/ 'break' with a short vowel and ຫາກ 'if, inevitably' with a long one. Length also feeds into the tone, so the two words differ in tone as well.

Sources

  1. Lao script (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  2. Lao language (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed

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