Alphabets in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia

If you land somewhere in Southeast Asia and is thinking about Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, you can try tell each other apart based on their alphabets.

Thailand uses the Thai alphabet. A key detail of Thai characters is that most of them are based on vertical lines. You can find small circles/loops on top of letters. E.g.: กรุงเทพฯ

Laos uses the Lao alphabet. It looks similar than Thai, but with less circles/loops on top of letters, and with more detailed marks above the letters. E.g.: ວຽງຈັນ

Cambodia uses the Khmer alphabet. The letters are more complex and many of them have horizontal curls. Also, they often have high and low extensions (like a circle or a curvy line. E.g.: ភ្នំពេញ

Watch out for different fonts! Depending on the font that is used, complex letters might look simpler. When that happens, focus on the fonts that resemble one or more characteristics above. As an example, in the image below, the inflatable guy's shirt is the font that we should consider to guess Thailand.