Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 8, 2026

Katu language

Katu, or Low Katu, is a Katuic language of eastern Laos and central Vietnam.

Last revised
Jul 8, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
291 w
Citations
5
Source
Katu
Low Katu, West Katu
Native toLaos, Central Vietnam
EthnicityKatu
Native speakers
23,000 (2005 census)1
Austroasiatic
Dialects
  • Triw2
  • Dakkang
  • Kantu
  • Kalum
Lao (Laos), Latin (Vietnam)
Language codes
ISO 639-3kuf
Glottologwest2398
ELPDakkang
 Triw

Katu, or Low Katu, is a Katuic language of eastern Laos and central Vietnam.

In Vietnam, it is spoken in Huế city, including in A Lưới district. According to the 2009 Vietnamese census, there are 61,588 Katu people.3

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t c k ʔ
aspirated
voiced b d ɟ ɡ
implosive ɓ ɗ ʄ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Liquid rhotic r
lateral l
Fricative (s) h
Approximant w j
  • /ʄ/ can also be heard as a preglottal affricate sound [ʔdʒ] or glide [ʔj].
  • /cʰ/ can range to an alveolar fricative [s].4

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i ɨ ɨː u
Close-mid e ə əː o
Open-mid ɛ ɛː ʌ ʌː ɔ ɔː
Open a ɒ ɒː
  • Diphthongs occur as /ia, ɨa, ua/.5
References

References

  1. Katu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. "Mon-Khmer Classification (Draft)".
  3. Tổng điều tra dân số và nhà ở Việt Nam năm 2009: Kết quả toàn bộ. Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine Hà Nội, 6-2010. Tabl. 5, p. 134-225. Accessed 10/2/2011
  4. Wallace, Judith M. (1969). "Katu phonemes". Mon-Khmer Studies. 3: 64–73.
  5. Sidwell (2005), pp. 15-16
Further reading

Further reading