Script guide › Brahmic / Indic
Khmer vs Lao
Khmer and Lao sit in the same corner of the writing-system map — Grafle's Brahmic / Indic group — and players mix them up constantly. Here's the fastest way to tell them apart.
The tell
Lao is round and open; Khmer is tall, spiky and ornate with stacked subscripts.
Side by side
Khmer
មនុស្សទាំងអស់កើតមកមានសេរីភាព និងសមភាពក្នុងសិទ្ធិ។
សួស្តី សុខសប្បាយជាទេ?
ភាសាខ្មែរពិរោះណាស់។
Khmer's own tells
- Spiky and ornate — tiny hooks point right from the top of many letters, with small letters stacked underneath. Taller and pointier than Thai.
On signs in:
- Cambodia
Lao
ມະນຸດທຸກຄົນເກີດມາມີສິດເສລີພາບ ແລະ ສະເໝີພາບ.
ສະບາຍດີ, ສະບາຍດີບໍ?
ພາສາລາວງາມຫຼາຍ.
Lao's own tells
- Like Thai but rounder and simpler — fewer letters and no little 'crown' serifs.
On signs in:
- Laos