Lao Karaoke Translator

What is Lao Karaoke?

"Lao karaoke" is how Lao people write Lao with the Latin alphabet when chatting on Facebook and messaging apps. This free Lao-Karaoke translator converts Lao script to karaoke (romanized) text and back, instantly, with alternative spellings for each word — handy for chat, song lyrics, names, and learning Lao.

Examples

• ສະບາຍດີ→sabaidi
• ເຈົ້າເຮັດຫຍັງຢູ່→jao h y u
• ຂ້ອຍຮັກເຈົ້າ→khoi huk jao
• ຂອບໃຈ→khopjai

How to type Lao karaoke

1. Type or paste Lao script in the left box.
2. Read the karaoke (Latin) result on the right — it updates instantly as you type.
3. Tap “Show alternatives” to pick another spelling, or press swap to convert karaoke back to Lao.

Everyday phrases

Short lines you would actually send, shown in Lao script and in chat karaoke.

• ສະບາຍດີ ເຈົ້າສະບາຍດີບໍ sah baiy dee jao sah baiy dee bor Hello, how are you?
• ເຈົ້າຢູ່ໃສ jao u sai Where are you?
• ຂ້ອຍກຳລັງໄປ khoi kum lung pai I am on my way.
• ອັນນີ້ເທົ່າໃດ un ni thao dai How much is this?
• ຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆ khob jai laiy2 Thank you very much.
• ພົບກັນມື້ອື່ນ phob kun mue uen See you tomorrow.

Three ways to spell the same word

There is no single correct karaoke spelling, so this tool keeps three systems side by side and lets you switch between them.

• Chat: what Lao people type on Facebook and Messenger. Short, fast, inconsistent between writers. Frequent words get squeezed down to a letter or two.
• MoH 2020: the Lao Ministry of Health romanization, the current official standard. Plain ASCII, no accents, predictable. Best for names, documents and anything a stranger has to read back.
• BGN/PCGN: the older Anglo-American standard. Still what you see on many maps, passports and road signs, so it is worth recognising even if you do not write it.

Lao consonants and their Latin letters

Every Lao initial consonant, with the chat spelling people actually type, the official MoH 2020 form, the older BGN/PCGN form, and the letter it becomes when it closes a syllable. A dash means the letter is silent or cannot close a syllable.

Vowels

Lao vowels wrap around the consonant: some sit before it, some after, some above or below. That placement is why reading Lao by eye is harder than reading the romanization.

Tone marks

Four marks, all written above the syllable. They change meaning in Lao but are dropped in karaoke, which is one reason a karaoke spelling can be ambiguous.

Tips for readable karaoke

• Pick one system per message. Mixing chat shorthand with official spelling in the same sentence is what makes karaoke hard to read.
• For a name, use MoH 2020. It is the spelling an official form or an airline booking will expect.
• Chat shorthand relies on the reader knowing the word already. If you are writing to someone still learning Lao, use the full spelling instead.
• Karaoke drops tones, so a few words collapse into the same spelling. Add a word of context rather than a longer spelling.
• When you disagree with a spelling this tool gives, submit yours through the suggestion form. Approved suggestions go into the dictionary.

Word by word

Common Lao words with every spelling people use for them, plus the official forms and a breakdown of why the letters land where they do.

• ຮັກ huk to love
• ຂອບໃຈ khob jai thank you
• ແຊບ sep delicious
• ງາມ ngam beautiful, pretty
• ມັກ mak to like
• ຂ້ອຍ khoi I, me
• ເຈົ້າ jao you
• ກິນ kin to eat
• ເຂົ້າ khao rice, a meal
• ບ້ານ bn house, home, village
• ຫຍັງ y what
• ໃສ sai where

Browse the word list

Frequently asked questions

What is Lao karaoke?

Lao karaoke is writing Lao words with the Latin alphabet — the way Lao people type when chatting on Facebook and Messenger. It is phonetic and has no single official spelling.

Is this Lao to English translation?

No. It transliterates Lao script into Latin (karaoke) letters by sound; it does not translate meaning. Use it for spelling, names, song lyrics, and chat.

Can it convert karaoke back to Lao?

Yes. Press the swap button to convert Latin karaoke text back into Lao script.

Why do I see ny in one spelling and gn in another?

They are the same Lao letter ຍ under two different standards. The 2020 Ministry of Health system writes it ny, which matches how English speakers read it. The older BGN/PCGN system, still used on many road signs and older maps, writes it gn. Both appear in the alternatives list so you can pick the one your reader expects.

Why is the vowel written ou instead of u?

In the official systems the sound in ຢູ່ is written ou, the same convention French-influenced spellings of Lao place names use. Plain u is reserved for a different vowel. Chat spelling ignores this and people write whichever looks right to them, which is why the tool shows several options.

Does it mark tones?

No. Lao has four tone marks, but almost nobody types them in Latin letters, so the output leaves them out. If you need tone information, read the Lao script itself.

Are Lao and Thai karaoke the same?

They are related but not interchangeable. Many letters are cognate and the habit of typing in Latin letters is shared, but Lao spelling is phonetic where Thai keeps older etymological spellings, so the same sound often produces different Latin output.

Is my text stored?

Yes. While the tool is pre-stable, every conversion is logged: the text, the result, your IP address, country, device type, interface language and the time. It cannot be turned off, and it exists to find the words the converter gets wrong so they can be fixed in order of how often they occur. Nothing is sold or shared for advertising. Do not paste anything private. See the privacy page for what stops when a stable release is declared.