Greetings and polite phrases
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| kumusta | hello / how are you | koo-moos-TAH | Kumusta ka?How are you? |
| magandang umaga | good morning | ma-gan-DANG oo-MA-ga | Magandang umaga sa iyo.Good morning to you. |
| magandang gabi | good evening | ma-gan-DANG ga-BEE | Magandang gabi, kaibigan.Good evening, friend. |
| paalam | goodbye | pa-AH-lam | Paalam, sa muli!Goodbye, see you again! |
| salamat | thank you | sa-LA-mat | Salamat sa tulong mo.Thank you for your help. |
| walang anuman | you're welcome | WA-lang a-NOO-man | Walang anuman, kaibigan.You're welcome, friend. |
| paki | please | PA-kee | Paki-abot ng tubig.Please pass the water. |
| pasensya na | sorry / excuse me | pa-SEN-sya na | Pasensya na, huli ako.Sorry, I'm late. |
| oo | yes | OH-oh | Oo, tama ka.Yes, you're right. |
| hindi | no | hin-DEE | Hindi, ayaw ko.No, I don't want to. |
| ingat | take care | EE-ngat | Ingat ka sa daan.Take care on the road. |
Numbers
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| isa | one | EE-sah | May isang pusa ako.I have one cat. |
| dalawa | two | da-la-WAH | May dalawang libro siya.She has two books. |
| tatlo | three | tat-LOH | May tatlong bola ang bata.The child has three balls. |
| apat | four | A-pat | May apat na kotse sila.They have four cars. |
| lima | five | lee-MAH | May limang mansanas ako.I have five apples. |
| anim | six | A-nim | May anim na aso sila.They have six dogs. |
| pito | seven | pee-TOH | May pitong araw ang isang linggo.A week has seven days. |
| walo | eight | wa-LOH | May walong mansanas ako.I have eight apples. |
| siyam | nine | SYAM | May siyam na kapatid ako.I have nine siblings. |
| sampu | ten | sam-POO | May sampung daliri ang tao.A person has ten fingers. |
| isang daan | one hundred | EE-sang da-AHN | May isang daang estudyante sa silid-aralan.There are one hundred students in the classroom. |
Colors
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pula | red | poo-LAH | Pula ang kotse niya.His car is red. |
| asul | blue | a-SOOL | Asul ang langit.The sky is blue. |
| dilaw | yellow | dee-LAOW | Dilaw ang saging.The banana is yellow. |
| berde | green | ber-DEH | Berde ang damo.The grass is green. |
| itim | black | ee-TEEM | Itim ang buhok ko.My hair is black. |
| puti | white | poo-TEE | Puti ang bahay nila.Their house is white. |
| kayumanggi | brown | ka-yoo-MANG-gee | Kayumanggi ang balat ko.My skin is brown. |
| lila | purple | lee-LAH | Lila ang bulaklak.The flower is purple. |
| kulay-rosas | pink | KOO-lai ro-SAS | Kulay-rosas ang damit niya.Her dress is pink. |
| kulay-abo | gray | KOO-lai a-BOH | Kulay-abo ang ulap.The cloud is gray. |
| kahel | orange | ka-HEL | Kahel ang prutas na ito.This fruit is orange. |
Family
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| nanay | mother | NA-nai | Mahal ko ang nanay ko.I love my mother. |
| tatay | father | TA-tai | Malakas ang tatay ko.My father is strong. |
| anak | child | A-nak | Masaya ang anak nila.Their child is happy. |
| kapatid na lalaki | brother | ka-pa-TEED na la-LA-kee | Matangkad ang kapatid kong lalaki.My brother is tall. |
| kapatid na babae | sister | ka-pa-TEED na ba-BA-eh | Maganda ang kapatid kong babae.My sister is pretty. |
| lolo | grandfather | LOH-loh | Matanda na ang lolo ko.My grandfather is already old. |
| lola | grandmother | LOH-lah | Mabait ang lola ko.My grandmother is kind. |
| asawa | spouse | a-SA-wa | Guro ang asawa ko.My spouse is a teacher. |
| pamilya | family | pa-MEEL-ya | Malaki ang pamilya namin.Our family is big. |
| tito | uncle | TEE-toh | Doktor ang tito ko.My uncle is a doctor. |
| tita | aunt | TEE-tah | Mabait ang tita ko.My aunt is kind. |
Food and drink
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| kanin | rice | ka-NEEN | Kumain ako ng kanin.I ate rice. |
| tubig | water | too-BEEG | Uminom ako ng tubig.I drank water. |
| tinapay | bread | ti-NA-pai | Bumili ako ng tinapay.I bought bread. |
| isda | fish | EES-dah | Masarap ang isda.The fish is delicious. |
| manok | chicken | ma-NOK | Nilaga namin ang manok.We stewed the chicken. |
| karne | meat | kar-NEH | Mahal ang karne ngayon.Meat is expensive now. |
| prutas | fruit | proo-TAS | Gusto ko ng prutas.I like fruit. |
| gulay | vegetable | goo-LAI | Kumain ka ng gulay.Eat your vegetables. |
| gatas | milk | ga-TAS | Uminom ang bata ng gatas.The child drank milk. |
| kape | coffee | ka-PEH | Uminom ako ng kape tuwing umaga.I drink coffee every morning. |
| asin | salt | a-SEEN | Maglagay ka ng asin.Add some salt. |
Time and days
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| araw | day | A-rao | Maganda ang araw ngayon.Today is a beautiful day. |
| gabi | night | ga-BEE | Tahimik ang gabi.The night is quiet. |
| umaga | morning | oo-MA-ga | Maaga akong gumising sa umaga.I wake up early in the morning. |
| hapon | afternoon | HA-pon | Uuwi ako sa hapon.I will go home in the afternoon. |
| linggo | week | LEENG-goh | May pitong araw sa isang linggo.There are seven days in a week. |
| buwan | month | BOO-wan | Maikli ang buwan ng Pebrero.February is a short month. |
| taon | year | TA-on | Bagong taon na naman.It's a new year again. |
| ngayon | today | nga-YON | Busy ako ngayon.I am busy today. |
| bukas | tomorrow | BOO-kas | Magkita tayo bukas.Let's meet tomorrow. |
| kahapon | yesterday | ka-HA-pon | Umulan kahapon.It rained yesterday. |
| oras | hour / time | OH-ras | Anong oras na?What time is it? |
Common verbs
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| kumain | to eat | koo-ma-EEN | Gusto kong kumain ngayon.I want to eat now. |
| uminom | to drink | oo-mi-NOM | Kailangan kong uminom ng tubig.I need to drink water. |
| matulog | to sleep | ma-too-LOG | Maaga akong matutulog.I will sleep early. |
| maglakad | to walk | mag-la-KAD | Gusto naming maglakad sa parke.We like to walk in the park. |
| magsalita | to speak | mag-sa-li-TAH | Marunong siyang magsalita ng Tagalog.He knows how to speak Tagalog. |
| tumakbo | to run | too-mak-BOH | Mabilis siyang tumakbo.He runs fast. |
| magbasa | to read | mag-ba-SAH | Gusto kong magbasa ng libro.I like to read books. |
| magsulat | to write | mag-soo-LAT | Marunong siyang magsulat ng tula.She knows how to write poems. |
| pumunta | to go | poo-moon-TAH | Pupunta kami sa palengke.We will go to the market. |
| bumili | to buy | boo-mi-LEE | Bumili ako ng bagong sapatos.I bought new shoes. |
| magtrabaho | to work | mag-tra-BA-ho | Magtatrabaho ako bukas.I will work tomorrow. |
Adjectives and descriptive words
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| maganda | beautiful | ma-gan-DAH | Maganda ang bulaklak.The flower is beautiful. |
| malaki | big | ma-la-KEE | Malaki ang bahay nila.Their house is big. |
| maliit | small | ma-lee-EET | Maliit ang aso ko.My dog is small. |
| mabait | kind | ma-ba-EET | Mabait ang guro namin.Our teacher is kind. |
| masaya | happy | ma-sa-YAH | Masaya ang mga bata.The children are happy. |
| malungkot | sad | ma-loong-KOT | Malungkot siya ngayon.He is sad today. |
| mainit | hot | ma-ee-NEET | Mainit ang panahon ngayon.The weather is hot today. |
| malamig | cold | ma-la-MEEG | Malamig ang tubig sa umaga.The water is cold in the morning. |
| mabilis | fast | ma-bee-LEES | Mabilis ang kotse niya.His car is fast. |
| mabagal | slow | ma-ba-GAL | Mabagal ang internet dito.The internet is slow here. |
| mahirap | difficult | ma-hee-RAP | Mahirap ang pagsusulit.The exam is difficult. |
Question words
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sino | who | SEE-noh | Sino ka?Who are you? |
| ano | what | A-noh | Ano ito?What is this? |
| saan | where | sa-AHN | Saan ka pupunta?Where are you going? |
| kailan | when | ka-ee-LAN | Kailan ka babalik?When will you come back? |
| bakit | why | BA-kit | Bakit ka umiiyak?Why are you crying? |
| paano | how | pa-A-noh | Paano gawin ito?How do you do this? |
| ilan | how many | EE-lan | Ilan ang gusto mo?How many do you want? |
| alin | which | A-lin | Alin ang sa iyo?Which one is yours? |
| kanino | whose | ka-NEE-noh | Kanino ito?Whose is this? |
| gaano | how (much/big) | ga-A-noh | Gaano ito kalaki?How big is this? |
| magkano | how much (money) | mag-KA-noh | Magkano ito?How much is this? |
Travel and directions
| Tagalog | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| paliparan | airport | pa-lee-PA-ran | Malapit na kami sa paliparan.We are almost at the airport. |
| tren | train | TREN | Sumakay kami ng tren.We rode the train. |
| bus | bus | BOOS | Maghintay tayo ng bus.Let's wait for the bus. |
| daan | road / street | da-AHN | Maingat sa daan.Be careful on the road. |
| kanan | right | ka-NAN | Kumanan ka sa kanto.Turn right at the corner. |
| kaliwa | left | ka-lee-WAH | Kumaliwa ka pagkatapos ng simbahan.Turn left after the church. |
| diretso | straight | dee-RET-so | Dumiretso ka lang.Just go straight. |
| malayo | far | ma-la-YOH | Malayo ang paaralan mula rito.The school is far from here. |
| malapit | near | ma-LA-peet | Malapit lang ang palengke.The market is nearby. |
| bayad | fare / payment | BA-yad | Magkano ang bayad sa taxi?How much is the taxi fare? |
| tiket | ticket | TEE-ket | Bumili ako ng tiket sa bus.I bought a bus ticket. |
Study tips for Tagalog
- Stress often falls on the second-to-last syllable, but many words carry a glottal stop at the end that changes meaning, so listen carefully to native speakers.
- Verbs change form with prefixes like mag-, -um-, and ma- depending on tense and focus, so learn verbs inside short phrases rather than as isolated roots.
- Tagalog freely borrows Spanish loanwords, like kape and mesa, which can make some vocabulary easier to recognize if you know Spanish.
- Practice adding po and opo when speaking to elders or strangers, since politeness markers are essential in everyday Tagalog.
- Read the example sentences aloud and swap in new nouns to build sentence patterns quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to start learning Tagalog vocabulary?
Begin with greetings, numbers, and family words, then practice them in short sentences like the examples on this page. Frequent repetition builds recall faster than memorizing long lists.
Is Tagalog the same as Filipino?
Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is based on Tagalog and shares most of its core vocabulary, so learning Tagalog vocabulary will also help you understand Filipino as it is used today.
How do you say thank you in Tagalog?
Thank you is salamat. You can add po for a more polite, respectful tone, as in salamat po.