Lao is the official language of Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It belongs to the Tai-Kadai language family and is primarily spoken by the Lao people. The language uses a script derived from the Brahmi script, which is also used in several other Southeast Asian languages. In addition to being the national language, Lao is used in government, education, and media within Laos. The language has several dialects, with the Vientiane dialect being the standard form. Lao is closely related to Thai, and speakers of both languages can often understand each other to some extent.