Help:IPA/Lao

These charts illustrate International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols used for pronunciations of the Lao/Isan (Lao script for Nongkhai-Vientiane dialect, a standard Lao in Laos; Thai script for Roi Kaen Sara sin dialect, a standard Isan in Thailand)^{[citation needed]} and Phuan in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA, and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.

More information Consonants, IPA ...

Consonants
IPA	Lao	Isan	Phuan^[1]	Transliteration^[2]	English approximation
Syllable-initial consonants
b	ບ	บ	บ	b	boss
d	ດ	ฎ, ด	ฎ, ด	d	done
f	ຝ, ຟ	ฝ, ฟ	ฝ, ฟ	f	food
h	ຫ, ຮ	ห, ฮ	ห, ฮ	h	head
j	ຢ	ย, อย, หย	ย, อย, หย	y	yak
k	ກ	ก	ก	k	scan
kʰ	ຂ, ຄ	ข, ฃ, ค, ฅ, ฆ	ข, ฃ, ค, ฅ, ฆ	kh	can
l	ລ, ຫຼ	ล, ฬ, หล	ร, หร, ล, ฬ, หล	l	law
m	ມ, ໝ	ม, หม	ม, หม	m	much
n	ນ, ໜ	ณ, น, หน	ณ, น, หน	n	not
ŋ	ງ, ຫງ	ง, หง	ง, หง	ng	singer
ɲ^[3]	ຍ, ຫຍ	ญ, ย, หย	ญ, ย, หย	gn, ny, y	canyon
p	ປ	ป	ป	p	span
pʰ	ຜ, ພ	ผ, พ, ภ	ผ, พ, ภ	ph	pan
r^[4]	ຣ, ຫຼ, ຫຣ	ร, หร	ร, หร	r	trilled r
s	ສ, ຊ	ซ, ศ, ษ, ส	ซ, ศ, ษ, ส	x, s	sue
t	ຕ	ฏ, ต	ฏ, ต	t	stable
tʰ	ຖ, ທ	ฐ, ฑ, ฒ, ถ, ท, ธ	ฐ, ฑ, ฒ, ถ, ท, ธ	th	table
tɕ	ຈ	จ	จ	ch	jean
tɕʰ^[4]	—	ฉ, ช, ฌ	ฉ, ช, ฌ	ch	cheese
w	ວ, ຫວ	ว, หว	ว, หว	v, w	way
x^[5]	ຂ, ຄ	ข, ฃ, ค, ฅ, ฆ	ข, ฃ, ค, ฅ, ฆ	kh	loch
ʔ	ອ	อ	อ		the catch in uh'-oh
Syllable-final consonants
j	ຍ, ຽ	ย	ย	y, i	toy
k^[6]	ກ	ก, ข, ค, ฆ	ก, ข, ค, ฆ	k	tractor
m	ມ	ม	ม	m	dam
n	ນ	ญ, ณ, น, ร, ล, ฬ	ญ, ณ, น, ร, ล, ฬ	ne, n	pin
ŋ	ງ	ง	ง	ng	sing
p^[6]	ບ	บ, ป, พ, ฟ, ภ	บ, ป, พ, ฟ, ภ	p	apt
t^[6]	ດ	จ, ช, ซ, ฎ, ฏ, ฐ, ฑ, ฒ, ด, ต, ถ, ท, ธ, ศ ,ษ ,ส	จ, ช, ซ, ฎ, ฏ, ฐ, ฑ, ฒ, ด, ต, ถ, ท, ธ, ศ ,ษ ,ส	t	catnip
w	ວ	ว	ว	w, o	down
ʔ^[6]	ະ	ะ, –	ะ, –		flat (Cockney)

Tones^[7]
IPA	Description
āː	Mid [aː˧]
àː	Low [aː˨˩] or [aː˩]
âː	Falling [aː˦˩] or [aː˥˨]
a᷆ː or ȁː	Mid-fall [aː˧˩]
áː	High [aː˦˥] or [aː˥]
ǎː	Rising [aː˨˩˦] or [aː˨˦]

Vowels
IPA	Lao^[8]	Isan/Phuan	Transliteration	English approximation
Short monophthongs^[9]
a	◌ະ, ◌ັ◌	◌, ◌ะ, ◌ั◌	a	between fat and father (short)
e	ເ◌ະ, ເ◌ັ◌	เ◌ะ, เ◌็◌	e	mate
ɛ	ແ◌ະ, ແ◌ັ◌	แ◌ะ, แ◌็◌	e, ae	bet
i	◌ິ, ◌ິ◌	◌ิ, ◌ิ◌	i	happy
o	ໂ◌ະ, ◌ົ◌	โ◌ะ, ◌◌	o	story
ɔ	ເ◌າະ, ◌ັອ◌	เ◌าะ, ◌็อ◌	o	off
u	◌ຸ, ◌ຸ◌	◌ุ, ◌ุ◌	ou, u	cool
ɯ	◌ຶ, ◌ຶ◌	◌ึ, ◌ึ◌	u, ue	could (weak sound)
ɤ	ເ◌ິ^[10], ເ◌ິ◌	เ◌อะ	eu, oe	the
Long monophthongs
aː	◌າ, ◌າ◌	◌า, ◌า◌	a	bra
eː	ເ◌, ເ◌◌	เ◌, เ◌◌	e	play
ɛː	ແ◌, ແ◌◌	แ◌, แ◌◌	e, ae	fairy
iː	◌ີ, ◌ີ◌	◌ี, ◌ี◌	i	green
oː	ໂ◌, ໂ◌◌	โ◌, โ◌◌	o	go
ɔː	◌ໍ, ◌ອ◌	◌, ◌อ, ◌อ◌	o	dog (long)
uː	◌ູ, ◌ູ◌	◌ู, ◌ู◌	ou, u	cool
ɯː	◌ື, ◌ື◌	◌ือ, ◌ื◌	u, ue	cool, but with the lips unrounded
ɤː	ເ◌ີ, ເ◌ີ◌	เ◌อ, เ◌ิ◌	eu, oe	fur
Diphthongs
ia	ເ◌ຍ, ◌ຽ◌	เ◌ีย, เ◌ีย◌	ia	idea
ua	◌ົວ, ◌ວ◌	◌ัว, ◌ว◌	oua, ua	truant elided into a single syllable
ɯa	ເ◌ືອ, ເ◌ືອ◌	เ◌ือ, เ◌ือ◌	ua, uea	No English equivalent
Vowels + syllable-final /j, w/ and triphthongs
aj	ໃ◌, ໄ◌	◌ัย, ใ◌, ไ◌	ai	sight
aw	ເ◌ົາ	เ◌า	ao	house
ew	ເ◌ວ, ເ◌ັວ	เ◌ว, เ◌็ว	eo	No English equivalent
ɛw	ແ◌ວ, ແ◌ັວ	แ◌ว, แ◌็ว	ew, aeo	No English equivalent
iw	◌ິວ	◌ิว	iou, io	duty
ɔj	◌ອຍ, ◌ັອຍ	◌อย, ◌็อย	oy, oi	choice (American, Northern England)
uj	◌ຸຍ	◌ุย	oui, ui	Gruyère
aːj	◌າຍ	◌าย	ay, ai	mind
aːw	◌າວ	◌าว	ao	cow
eːw	ເ◌ວ	เ◌ว	eo	No English equivalent
ɛːw	ແ◌ວ	แ◌ว	eo, aeo	cow (Australian)
oːj	ໂ◌ຍ	โ◌ย	oy, oi	boy (RP, Australian, NZ)
ɔːj	◌ອຍ	◌อย	oy, oi	toy, but longer
uːj	◌ູຍ	◌ูย	ouy, ui	booyah
ɤːj	ເ◌ີຍ	เ◌ย	euy, oei	millefeuille (British)
iaw	◌ຽວ	เ◌ียว	iao	meow
uaj	◌ວຍ	◌วย	ouai, uai	Uruguay
ɯaj	ເ◌ືອຍ	เ◌ือย	euai, ueai	No English equivalent

Other Symbols
IPA	Description
.	Syllable break

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This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Lao on Wikipedia.

It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Lao in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them. Integrity must be maintained between the key and the transcriptions that link here; do not change any symbol or value without establishing consensus on the talk page first.

For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

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