Let’s tackle a big question that many language learners have: Is Lao related to Thai? Well, the short answer is yes, but it goes much deeper than that! Lao and Thai, being related languages that both originate in Southeast Asia, have had close contact along the border of the Mekong River, resulting in native speakers being able to understand one another to a degree. This is a significant factor when deciding which of these languages to learn.
With this in mind, we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of things and compare the similarities and differences between aspects of Lao and Thai, so you can decide for yourself which language you’d like to start learning. Let’s dive right in!
Table Of Contents
Is Lao Related To Thai?
Lao and Thai are both Tai-Kadai languages, meaning that they both evolved from one common language. In fact, there are so many similarities between the two that many Lao people can understand Thai very well due to exposure to Thai media, Thai TV, and Thai books.
Historically, the Lao language has incorporated many loan words from the central Thai dialect in addition to French loan words adopted later during the period of French Indochina. This resulted in a deeper divide and evolution from the ‘ancestor’ language, further cementing the fact that these are two different languages.
Interestingly, the region of Northeastern Thailand speaks a dialect of Thai also known as the Isan dialect. Many linguists conflict on whether the Isan dialect is a truly ‘Thai’ dialect, since it shares more similarities with the Central Lao and Southern Lao dialects. In any case, if you’re traveling between the two countries of Laos and Thailand and only know Lao, you should be able to communicate in their local language with no worries.
Similarities Between Lao And Thai
The similarities between Lao and Thai are numerous. Both are tonal languages and share many features such as grammar rules and conjunctions. Hopefully by the end of this section, you’ll get to appreciate the similarities (and differences) between these languages.
1. Lao And Thai Grammar Rules
Lao sentence structure and Thai sentence structure share the same subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, similar to English. While Lao and Thai have subtle differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, their grammatical foundations are identical, so learners can smoothly transition between the two languages.
Let’s look at an example to illustrate this similarity:
Lao: Khoy mak pai souan sathalana le pha ma nyang lin (ຂ້ອຍມັກໄປສວນສາທາລະນະ ແລະ ພາໝາຍ່າງຫຼິ້ນ)
Thai: Chan chob pai suan sa thara na lae pha sunak dern len (ฉันชอบไปสวนสาธารณะ และ พาสุนัขเดินเล่น)
English: I like going to the park and walking my dog.
As you can see, these two sentences share the same meaning and grammatical structure. The only differences are in spelling, and in words used for ‘I’ (ຂ້ອຍ/ฉัน), ‘like’ (ມັກ/ชอบ), ‘dog’ (ໝາ/สุนัข), and ‘walk’ (ຍ່າງ/เดิน).
2. Conjunctions In Lao And Thai
Lao conjunctions and Thai conjunctions have the same meanings and can be used in the same contexts in either language – but always make sure to pronounce them correctly. As with Lao and Thai sentence structure, these conjunctions are placed either at the start of a clause, or in between clauses.
Differences Between Lao And Thai
There aren’t that many differences between Lao and Thai overall. Other than tones and accents, another big difference is vocabulary. Laotians typically use vocabulary deemed ‘informal’ by Thai standards, while on the other hand, most Thai vocabulary would be considered ‘posh’ by Lao standards.
The reason for this is due to the Thai monarchy’s influence over the Thai language. There is even a special register of Thai called raa chaa sàp (ราชาศัพท์), which uses vocabulary only reserved when talking to, or about, the King of Thailand. Lao also has this register, called laxasap (ລາຊາສັບ) but it has stayed unused ever since the deposition of the monarchy in 1975. Ever since, the Lao language evolved to use more informal, colloquial vocabulary.
When listening to speakers of either of these languages, you can hear some distinct vocabulary and sounds being used, particularly regarding pronouns and consonant shifts.
3. Pronouns In Lao And Thai
One of the biggest differences between Lao and Thai are their pronouns. Although there are some shared pronouns, such as the word for ‘us’, most of them are different or have distinct variation.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of synonyms for pronouns in Lao and Thai, even gendered ones! Below you’ll find the most commonly used pronouns:
| Pronoun | Lao | Lao Pronunciation | Thai | Thai Pronunciation | Thai Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | ຂ້ອຍ | khoy | ฉัน | chǎn | |
| You | ເຈົ້າ | chao | คุณ | kun | |
| Him | ລາວ | lao | เขา | kǎo | |
| Her | ນາງ | nang | เธอ | təə | |
| Them | ເຂົາເຈົ້າ | khao chao | พวกเขา | pûak kǎo | |
| Us | ພວກເຮົາ | phuak hao | พวกเรา | pûak rao |
4. Consonant Shifts In Lao And Thai
A common way to figure out if a word is in Lao or Thai is by recognizing consonant shifts. These consonants shifts evolved over time, gradually creating two separate languages that share many words.
Between modern Lao and standard Thai, there are two main patterns that stay consistent throughout. More specifically, there are two consonant shifts from ‘r’ to ‘h’, and ‘ch’ to ‘s/x’. Due to language reforms, Lao primarily uses consonants with ‘h’ and ‘s/x’ sounds to simplify pronunciation and spelling; if you hear a word that uses a ‘r’ or ‘ch’ sound, it’s probably in Thai!
Note: Some dialects of spoken Lao, such as the Luang Prabang dialect, still use the ‘r’ sound to a certain degree, although the ‘standard’ Vientiane Lao dialect omits the ‘r’ sound completely.
How Do You Say ‘To Be Related’ In Lao?
In Lao, ‘to be related’ can be translated as kan kiao khong (ການກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ). You can also use a similar phrase, khay khu kan (ຄ້າຍຄືກັນ), a formal phrase meaning ‘to be similar’. Khay khay kan (ຄ້າຍໆກັນ) carries the same meaning, but is more informal.
Related Vocabulary
Below you’ll find some important vocabulary to know when talking about similarities between Lao and Thai:
| English | Lao | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| To be related | ການກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ | kan kiao khong |
| Similar (formal) | ຄ້າຍຄືກັນ | khay khu kan |
| Similar (informal) | ຄ້າຍໆກັນ | khay khay kan |
| Lao language | ພາສາລາວ | phasa lao |
| Thai language | ພາສາໄທ | phasa thai |
| The Lao and Thai languages are very similar | ພາສາລາວ ແລະ ພາສາໄທ ຄ້າຍຄືກັນຫຼາຍ | phasa lao lae phasa thai khay khu kan lay |
To learn more vocabulary words in both Thai and Lao languages, make sure to check out the Ling app!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Is The Closest Language To Thai?
The closely related language to Thai is Lao, as these languages share many similarities in grammar, vocabulary, and written script. Both belong to the Tai-Kadai language family, and as a result share many similar words in their vocabulary. These two languages are also mutually intelligible; most speakers of Thai and Lao can understand each other to a high degree.
2. Can Thai People Read Lao?
Thai people may find it easier to read Lao than other languages since these closely related languages have scripts derived from the Old Khmer script. In addition, the modern Lao script functions like a simplified, cursive version of the Thai script, omitting many of the archaic characters found in Thai. Thus, Thais may find it a bit easier to read Lao than their native language!
3. How Do You Say ‘Hello’ In Thai And Lao Languages?
The words for ‘hello’ in Thai and Lao are sà wàt dii (สวัสดี) and sabaidee (ສະບາຍດີ), respectively. They both share the word dii/dee (ดี/ດີ), meaning ‘good’. Interestingly, the word sabaidee (ສະບາຍດີ) also exists in the Thai language as sà baai dii (สบายดี), but only has the meaning of ‘to be healthy’.
Lao And Thai: Which To Choose?
Torn between which of these Tai languages to choose? We don’t blame you! To the untrained ear, Lao and Thai may sound like the same language, but with different dialects. However, there is a big difference in the cultures surrounding them.
Our advice to you is to choose either one, but understand the ‘pros and cons’ of each. For example, Thai is more widely known and has more speakers, but has more challenging pronunciation and script. On the other hand, Lao can get you great mileage when traveling through Laos and the provinces of Northeastern Thailand, but there are not as many learning resources and overall speakers as Thai.
Whichever one of these languages you choose to learn will ultimately prepare you for the other. If you already know a bit of Lao, learning Thai will be a piece of cake, and vice versa! It’s relatively easy to be fluent in both of these languages, all you need is a little elbow grease and time.
Be sure to immerse yourself, dig deep, and have fun learning these two beautiful languages! Sok dee (ໂຊກດີ) and chôok dii (โชคดี)!
