Lao Vowels

Vowels in the Lao language can appear before, after, above, below, and around consonants. The vowel itself, however, determines its placement. For instance, the vowel, າ , always appears after the consonant, as in, ກາ ( kaa / crow). The vowel, ູ , always appears below the consonant, as in, ປູ (puu / crab). Vowels that "wrap around" a consonant are actually two or more vowels combined to form a sound. For instance, the vowels ເ , າ , ົ combine to form the sound "ao," like cow. This vowel would then be placed "around" a consonant, such as ຂ to form the word ເຂົ້າ (kao/ rice). In the list below, an "X" will be placed to designate the position of the consonant(s).

Lao vowels consist of 28 vowels which represent 27 sounds. Lao vowels can divided into 3 groups following the table below.