Looking for different ways to question the world around you using the Lao language? Trying to ask for directions to a restaurant for a taste of Lao culture? Perhaps you’re itching to ask someone out on a date?
Well, you’re in luck! This article will introduce you to the core Lao question words, or kham tham (ຄໍາຖາມ), that you can use to ask other people questions about the happenings in the world around you. We’ll first talk about what question words specifically mean, before getting into the 6 most common question words you’ll need to navigate the Lao language. Let’s begin!
Table Of Contents
What Are Lao Question Words?
Similar to interrogative words in English, Lao question words are essential tools for forming questions in Lao. They allow speakers to seek information, clarify details, or show curiosity in a conversation. Used either at the beginning or end of a statement, Lao question words can change a simple sentence into a question, making them important for both casual conversations and deeper discussions.
A simple way to create a question is by using the question word bor (ບໍ່). While it does have the definition of ‘no’, bor (ບໍ່) can also be placed at the end of a statement to create a closed, yes/no question. For those who speak English, it’s similar to saying ‘right?’ at the end of a sentence.
Lao: Chao mak nang bor (ເຈົ້າມັກນາງບໍ່?)
English: Do you like her?
Meaning: Chao (ເຈົ້າ) means ‘you’, mak (ມັກ) means ‘to like’, nang (ນາງ) means ‘her’, and bor (ບໍ່) means ‘no’.
If you’re looking to order food in Lao, travel through the country of Laos, or get immersed in Lao culture, read on to see how we can ask more meaningful questions using only a select few words.
Common Lao Question Words
Let’s explore the below Lao question words other than bor (ບໍ່), to create deeper and more open-ended questions. Keep in mind that some words can be placed at either the front or back of a statement, while some are limited to only being placed at one end.
| English | Lao | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Who | ໃຜ | Phai |
| What | ຫຍັງ | Nyang |
| When | ເມື່ອໃດ | /Muea dai |
| Where | ຢູ່ໃສ | Yu sai |
| Why | ເປັນຫຍັງ | Pen nyang |
| How | ແນວໃດ | Neo dai |
1. Who – Phai (ໃຜ)
Meaning ‘who’, phai (ໃຜ) is used when asking about an individual or group of people. Let’s see this word in action:
Lao: Phou khap khi men phai (ຜູ້ຂັບຂີ່ແມ່ນໃຜ?)
English: Who was the driver?
Meaning: Phou khap khi (ຜູ້ຂັບຂີ່) means ‘driver’, men (ແມ່ນ) means ‘is’, and phai (ໃຜ) means ‘who’.
Alternatively, you can also place the question word phai (ໃຜ) at the beginning of the sentence:
Lao: Phai pen phou khap khi (ໃຜເປັນຜູ້ຂັບຂີ່?)
English: Who was the driver?
Meaning: Phai (ໃຜ) means ‘who’, pen (ເປັນ) means ‘is’, and phou khap khi (ຜູ້ຂັບຂີ່) means ‘driver’.
Note: When choosing the correct form of the word ‘to be’ or ‘is’ in Lao, using either pen (ເປັນ) or men (ແມ່ນ) are both valid choices. However, it is important to note that pen (ເປັນ) has a connotation of ‘to be’ in a temporary sense, while men (ແມ່ນ) has a more definitive connotation.
2. What – Nyang (ຫຍັງ)
The interrogative word nyang (ຫຍັງ), meaning ‘what’, is used when asking about what something is. This is usually reserved for referring to inanimate objects as well as animals. This term cannot be used referring to people since it is deemed objectifying and demeaning.
Lao: Ni men nyang (ນີ້ແມ່ນຫຍັງ?)
English: What is this?
Meaning: Ni (ນີ້) means ‘this’, men (ແມ່ນ) means ‘is’, and nyang (ຫຍັງ) means ‘what’.
Unlike the previous question word phai (ໃຜ), nyang (ຫຍັງ) cannot be placed at the beginning of a statement.
3. When – Muea Dai (ເມື່ອໃດ)
If you’d like to ask when an event starts, when a restaurant closes, or when you’ll see someone again, use the Lao question word muea dai (ເມື່ອໃດ) to do so.
Lao: Lao cha ma muea dai (ລາວຈະມາເມື່ອໃດ?)
English: When will he come?
Meaning: Lao (ລາວ) means ‘he’, cha (ຈະ) means ‘will’, ma (ມາ) means ‘to come’, and muea dai (ເມື່ອໃດ) means ‘when’.
You can also place muea dai (ເມື່ອໃດ) at the start of the statement:
Lao: Muea dai thi lao cha ma (ເມື່ອໃດທີ່ລາວຈະມາ?)
English: When will he come?
Meaning: Muea dai (ເມື່ອໃດ) means ‘when’, thi (ທີ່) means ‘that’, Lao (ລາວ) means ‘he’, cha (ຈະ) means ‘will’, and ma (ມາ) means ‘to come’.
Note: The word thi (ທີ່) gives the question a more formal connotation. You can omit this to give the question a more informal, casual tone.
4. Where – Yu Sai (ຢູ່ໃສ)
Yu sai (ຢູ່ໃສ) is a question word meaning ‘where’. It is used when asking about specific directions or where someone or something is located.
Lao: Hong nam yu sai (ຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ໃສ?)
English: Where are the restrooms?
Meaning: Hong nam (ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ) means ‘restroom’, and yu sai (ຢູ່ໃສ) means ‘where’.
You can also place yu sai (ຢູ່ໃສ) at the beginning of a sentence, giving the sentence a more informal connotation:
Lao: Yu sai hong nam (ຢູ່ໃສ? ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ)
English: Where are the restrooms?
Meaning: Yu sai (ຢູ່ໃສ) means ‘where’, and hong nam (ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ) means ‘restroom’.
Note: In this case, yu sai (ຢູ່ໃສ) becomes a question by itself, and you specify that you want to find out the location of the restroom.
5. Why – Pen Nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ)
Pen nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ) is a question word made up of the individual words of pen (ເປັນ), meaning ‘to be’, and nyang (ຫຍັງ), meaning ‘what’. These words together are used to find out the reasoning behind something. Get philosophical with this word by placing it in front of a statement!
Lao: Pen nyang phouak hao khu keut you thi ni (ເປັນຫຍັງພວກເຮົາຄືເກີດຢູ່ທີ່ນີ້?)
English: Why are we born here?
Meaning: Pen nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ) means ‘why’, phuak hao (ພວກເຮົາ) means ‘we’, khu keut (ຄືເກີດ), means ‘are born’, and you thi ni (ຢູ່ທີ່ນີ້) means ‘here’.
Pen nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ) can also be placed after a noun or pronoun used to ask how someone (or something) is doing, but this phrase has a bad connotation, similar to ‘what’s wrong (with you)?’:
Lao: Lao pen nyang (ລາວເປັນຫຍັງ?)
English: What’s up with him?
Meaning: Lao (ລາວ) means ‘him’, and pen nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ) means ‘to be what’.
Note: Using pen nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ) in this way changes its meaning to something more akin to ‘to be what’ instead of ‘why’.
6. How – Neo Dai (ແນວໃດ)
Neo dai (ແນວໃດ) is used to ask how something is done, or how something was created. Place this at the end to ask ‘how’!
Lao: Chao het ni neo dai (ເຈົ້າເຮັດນີ້ແນວໃດ?)
English: How did you do this?
Meaning: Chao (ເຈົ້າ) means you, het (ເຮັດ) means ‘to do’, ni (ນີ້) means ‘this’, and neo dai (ແນວໃດ) means ‘how’.
Similar to pen nyang (ເປັນຫຍັງ), neo dai (ແນວໃດ) can be used to ask how someone (or something) is doing in a more positive tone. Simply add pen (ເປັນ) before the interrogative while you do so:
Lao: Chao pen neo dai (ເຈົ້າເປັນແນວໃດ?)
English: How are you doing?
Meaning: Chao (ເຈົ້າ) means you, pen (ເປັນ) means ‘to be’, and neo dai (ແນວໃດ) means ‘how’.
How Do You Say ‘Question’ In Lao?
The word for ‘question’ in Lao is kham tham (ຄໍາຖາມ). Another closely related word is sop tham (ສອບຖາມ), meaning ‘to inquire’. Both of these share the root word tham (ຖາມ) which means ‘to ask’.
Vocabulary Related To Lao Question Words
For your convenience, we’ve complied all the relevant and related words that have to do with Lao question words.
| English | Lao | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| To ask | ຖາມ | Tham |
| Question | ຄໍາຖາມ | Kham tham |
| To inquire | ສອບຖາມ | Sop tham |
| No | ບໍ່ | Bor |
| Who | ໃຜ | Phai |
| What | ຫຍັງ | Nyang |
| When | ເມື່ອໃດ | Muea dai |
| Where | ຢູ່ໃສ | Yu sai |
| Why | ເປັນຫຍັງ | Pen nyang |
| How | ແນວໃດ | Neo dai |
To learn more related Lao phrases and vocabulary, check out the Ling app to aid in your Lao learning journey!
FAQs About Lao Question Words
1. How Do You Ask A Question In Lao?
Asking a question in Lao is as simple as forming a statement, then adding a question word or particle to the end of the statement to specify what type of answer you’re looking for. Lao question words such as phai (ໃຜ), nyang (ຫຍັງ), and muea dai (ເມື່ອໃດ), meaning ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘when’, respectively, are used for these purposes. To create a yes/no question, you can use the word bor (ບໍ່).
2. How Do You Ask ‘What Is This’ In Lao?
To ask ‘what is this?’ in Lao, you can say ni men nyang (ນີ້ແມ່ນຫຍັງ?). Breaking it down, ni means ‘this’, men (ແມ່ນ) means ‘is’, and nyang (ຫຍັງ) means ‘what’. You’ll most likely use this when shopping at one of Laos’ many markets!
3. Is There A Question Mark In Lao?
Unlike the interrogative words in English, traditionally, the Lao script had no need for question marks, as Lao question words were specific enough to for that purpose. However, due to influences from French, the official language now includes question marks as an additional way to indicate that a sentence is a question.
Question… Everything!
Now that you know how to create closed and open-ended questions using Lao question words, the final step is to practice asking questions in Lao! Start small by asking easy closed questions using the word bor (ບໍ່). Once you’ve built up some confidence, you can go ahead and ask an open question by using one of the six question words you’ve learned today – just make sure you put them in the right place!
Not only will asking questions make you a better speaker of the Lao language, but it also helps you build confidence in learning the local language of Laos. By actively talking and listening to other Lao speakers, you can also build up a dictionary of Lao words and phrases to use in your following conversations.
Good luck on your Lao language journey and don’t stop asking questions! Sok dee (ໂຊກດີ)!
