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