# Tham

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /tʌm/ · frequency rank #64,059

## Definitions
1. The script traditionally used for Buddhist religious study in the vicinity of Northern Thailand and Laos.
2. The Lao variant of the above.

## Etymology
Tham is the local pronunciation of the word for dharma in the area where the script is used, e.g. Thai ธรรม (tam), Lao ທຳ (tham) and Northern Thai ᨵᩢᨾ᩠ᨾ᩺/ธัมม์, all derived from Pali dhamma. Tham script is a localisation of the phrase dharma script.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tham