# LAO

/ˈɫaʊ/ (US) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lao
Updated: 2026-05-07

## Definition

relating to the country of Laos, its people, or its language.

For teachers: relating to the nation of Laos, its inhabitants, or the Tai-Kadai language spoken there. Often used attributively to describe cultural or national identity.

## Examples

- We enjoyed a delicious Lao dinner last night.
- The museum features a stunning collection of traditional Lao textiles and hand-woven silk garments.
- Scholars of Southeast Asian linguistics often study Lao alongside Thai due to the significant degree of mutual intelligibility and shared historical development between the two languages.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He is Laotianese" but "He is Lao" — Learners sometimes add incorrect suffixes like '-ese' to the country name; 'Lao' or 'Laotian' are the correct forms.

## Usage notes

- Typically precedes the noun it modifies; when referring to the people as a group, it is often preceded by 'the'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.