ລາຊາ
lā sā
The Lao word for king can be expressed as ລາຊາ (lā sā), ກະສັດ or ຣາຊາ.
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Lao | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ລາຊາ | lā sā |
| ກະສັດ | ka sat |
| ຣາຊາ | rā sā |
All forms refer to a male member of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of a nation.
Which one should you use?
ກະສັດ is the most common, everyday word for king used in general conversation and literature. In contrast, ລາຊາ and ຣາຊາ are more formal versions.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ກະສັດ is used for general, everyday communication. The forms ລາຊາ or ຣາຊາ are used in high-register contexts, such as historical accounts, royal titles or formal literature.
How do you pronounce it?
lā sā
Did you know?
- Lao uses a specialized royal vocabulary called ຣາຊາສັບ where different words are used for basic actions depending on whether the person is a commoner or a ກະສັດ.
- Because the monarchy was abolished in 1975, the words for 'king' are now used more frequently in historical contexts or when referring to foreign monarchs than in daily politics.
- The formal variants ລາຊາ and ຣາຊາ are derived from the Pali word 'raja', which also serves as the root for the word 'raja' in Hindi and other Indian languages.
Examples in context
- ລາຊາ ເປັນຜູ້ປົກຄອງປະເທດ.lasa pen phu pok khong pathet.The king is the ruler of the country.
Example conversation
Two people are talking about a history book.
- Aປຶ້ມຫົວນີ້ເວົ້າກ່ຽວກັບລາຊາອົງໃດ?puem hua ni vao kiao kap latsa ong dai?Which king is this book about?
- Bມັນເວົ້າກ່ຽວກັບລາຊາທີ່ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່.man vao kiao kap latsa thi ying nyai.It is about a great king.
- Aລາຊາອົງນັ້ນປົກຄອງດົນປານໃດ?latsa ong nan pok khong don pan dai?How long did that king rule?
- Bເພິ່ນປົກຄອງເປັນເວລາສາມສິບປີ.phen pok khong pen vela sam sip pi.He ruled for thirty years.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
