Ai Lao

See also: 'ailao

Vietnamese

Etymology

    Sino-Vietnamese word from 哀牢.

    Always originally designated a state in Yunnan and Burma, which likely had no connection to Laos, it came to refer to the kingdom(s) of Lao people through phono-semantic matching of Lao ລາວ (lāo).

    Pronunciation

    • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔaːj˧˧ laːw˧˧]
    • (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔaːj˧˧ laːw˧˧]
    • (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔaːj˧˧ laːw˧˧]

    Proper noun

    Ai Lao

    1. (historical) Ailao, an ancient state in modern-day Yunnan province (of China) and Burma
    2. (obsolete) Laos