Pāḷi-Sanskrit for Lao is on 2019 Unicode V12

Great news, now both the Pāḷi-Sanskrit for properly Lao writing is added on 2019 Unicode V12 (https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0E80.pdf)

ຂ່າວທີ່ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່, ໃນປັດຈຸບັນໄດ້ເພິ່ມທັ້ງປາລິ-ສັນສກຣິຕ ສໍາຫຼັບການຂຽນທີ່ຖືກຕ້ອງໃນພາສາລາວ ໃນ 2019 Unicode V12 (https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0E80.pdf)

Jayasāro Bhikkhu | Facebook

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Right, I saw this, it is excellent news.

Will it mean we have to adjust our Pali script conversion tools?

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May be or may not, if the previously fonts of pāḷi lao are incorrect blocks (codes) when compare with the unicode V12, then need to change or convert to.

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Great merit, the suttacentral.net add more scripts which is very useful. I have providing you my lao font which based on the latest unicode12 (JaYasiri Bhikku - Great news, now both the Pāḷi-Sanskrit... | Facebook). So, you can use this font on your site by mapping the lao script to display properly lao pāḷī writing on any screen.
Lanexang Mon4.woff (45.3 KB)
Hopefully, many lay followers will see the mahasaṇgīti in lao language at suttacentral.net. Please let me know if you need my help.

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Dear ven, that is fantastic, thank you so much. I have made a ticket for this and we will add the updated font.

Normally we use Google’s Noto fonts for scripts not covered by our main font, Skolar. While Noto may not be the best designed font in each and every case, it has consistent style and metrics, so we can use many different scripts on the same site. Another advantage of the Noto fonts is that they come in many different styles—serif and sans serif, different weights, etc.—allowing for complex typography.

The extra 15 characters have not been added to Noto, but the issue is noted, and they are planned to be added in “Phase IV” of their development cycle.

This will take some time, however. They are currently 60% finished with Phase II, so we can safely say that Phase IV will be some years away.

So what I am wondering is, might it be possible for you to add the extra 15 characters to Noto? The license allows reuse with modification, so that is not a problem.


I have compared the metrics of Lanexang Mon4 (red) and Noto (blue.

As you can see, they are quite similar in weight and x-height. The line-height is a little different, but not too much.

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Okay, no problems.

“AS IS” refers only to the fact that no warranty is offered for the font. It’s not the license per se. From the Noto github page:

All Noto fonts are published under the SIL Open Font License (OFL) v1.1, which allows you to copy, modify, and redistribute them if you need to.

So it is possible to modify them. However, as you say, it’s better to wait for them to do the job.

Thanks once more for your work.

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I’m not sure! So you’ve added the lanxangmon4 glyphs to the noto font, so that it will have the shapes of lanxangmon4 and the metrics of noto. Is that right? Maybe it’ll work, we should test it.

Hi Ven. Sujato,
I have the latest updated the font Lao Pali including keyboard with mapping sticker as link (Fonts_Kb_LaoPali (Unicode) - Google Drive) for you references. Please check it out and let me know your feedback.
Kind Regards


Lao Pali Regular Glyphs

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Greeting Venerable, It’s been a while we do not communicate. Hope to find you well during the covid - 19 epidemics and How are you doing? I’ve seen on the suttacentral site that including Pāḷi Lao character with font Serif Lao Reg and seem to function. I have look it up and some position of sign virama is not in the position with a few characters, so I have an update consistency OpenType configuration with this link (Fonts_Kb_LaoPali (Unicode) - Google Drive) for the new version of font Serif Lao Reg, just plug in and let me know how it goes. pindhu lao

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I also have the fonts for tham-lanna (Ln), tham-lao (Lx), tham-lue, and tham-kuen, in the unicode tai-tham code point for your references at a link gdrive (Fonts_Tham-Pali (Jayasāro Bhikkhu) - Google Drive). These fonts have been testing and working in the (Aksharamukha) and others sites for many years. The matrix is very competitive with font noto tai-tham and the OpenType configuration is working better. Hopfully this will help to increase the scripts in your suttacentral site and please let me know if you have any questions. Best regards,

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Thank you Bhantes, for all your work. Bhante Chyasaro, I have to thank you especially for posting the links to the fonts. I am helping to create a Pali-Lao+Pali-English chanting book for a local Lao temple. I had trouble finding fonts from Aksharamukha (looks like the links are broken), so finding your post has been a life saver.

Sadhu! Anumodami!

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You’re welcomes. I also working on the translation of lao tipitaka in Lao-Buran characters, and still developing of the font Lao-buran to fit within.

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My goodness Venerable, this is amazing!

I am well, thanks, and COVID has been gentle on us here in Sydney; few cases, and mostly a mild lockdown. I went for a walk yesterday and the children were happily playing in the sun, so it’s okay! I haven’t heard any news from Laos (no surprise there!) so how is it? I hope you and the Lao people are doing okay!

FYI, I visited Vientiane in about 1993. I had come from a monastery in Chieng Mai (Wat Ram Poeng) where there was a collection of Tipitakas. Though I was only a new student, my teacher there asked if I would try to source a Tipitaka in Laos. So that was an interesting mission! I spent some time visiting different monasteries and talking to various monks, including the Sangharaja. Although it was a wonderful experience, we were not able to find a Laotian Tipitaka. Of course, in those days the sasana was only just emerging from a dark period. One monk I met had a large yard full of smashed Buddharupas. He was patiently repairing them as best he could.

@HongDa can you please update our Lao fonts with the ones here? Thanks! :pray:

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This is quite the exciting project, Bhante! It would be wonderful to practice Lao by reading the Tipitaka. I also look forward to seeing the Lao Boran version.

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Thanks for your regards, and also my last visiting Thailand about 2012, and Lao about 2007. Hopefully everyone there will be well during Covid-19 epidemic, and have a healthy, wealthy, and longevity on their journal. Nowadays, I’m residing in California and I may able to help your out with the suttacentral project in someways such as Lao - Thai translation in line by line or side by side and corrections. Please let me know if you have any further questions at ven.chaisiri@gmail.com. I look forwards to hearing from you soon. With the best regards.

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