Vocabulary
Tagalog Vocabulary: Essential Words to Learn First
10 min read
You don't need thousands of words to start understanding Tagalog. A few hundred high-frequency words, learned by situation, cover a surprising amount of daily conversation. This guide groups the essential beginner vocabulary by where you'll actually use it, then shows how root words let you multiply what you know.
Greetings And Everyday Courtesy
Kumusta?
How are you?
Salamat / Salamat po
Thank you / Thank you (respectful)
Oo / Opo
Yes / Yes (respectful)
Hindi
No / Not
Paalam / Ingat
Goodbye / Take care
Ingat is what most people actually say when parting.
Pasensya na
Sorry / Please be patient
Family Words
Family vocabulary matters more in Tagalog than in many languages, because family titles are used in place of names, even for older friends and neighbors.
nanay / tatay
mother / father
lola / lolo
grandmother / grandfather
ate / kuya
older sister / older brother
Also used respectfully for any slightly older person.
kapatid
sibling
anak
child (son or daughter)
tito / tita
uncle / aunt
Numbers
Tagalog numbers are worth learning, but you'll hear Spanish-origin numbers for prices and time, and English numbers everywhere. Learn one to ten in Tagalog first.
- isa (1), dalawa (2), tatlo (3), apat (4), lima (5)
- anim (6), pito (7), walo (8), siyam (9), sampu (10)
Food And Eating
kanin
cooked rice
ulam
the dish eaten with rice
tubig
water
masarap
delicious
gutom
hungry
busog
full (after eating)
Time Words
- ngayon: now, today
- kahapon: yesterday
- bukas: tomorrow
- mamaya: later today
- kanina: earlier today
Question Words
- Ano? What?
- Sino? Who?
- Saan? Where?
- Kailan? When?
- Bakit? Why?
- Paano? How?
- Magkano? How much (price)?
Common Verb Roots
Tagalog verbs are built from roots. Learning the root first means you can recognize every form of the verb later.
- kain: eat
- inom: drink
- punta: go
- bili: buy
- luto: cook
- tulog: sleep
- basa: read
- sulat: write
How Root Words Build New Words
One root can give you nouns, verbs and places. This is why Tagalog vocabulary grows quickly once the patterns click.
kumain
ate
root kain + -um-
kakain
will eat
pagkain
food
kainan
eating place, eatery
Our Tagalog grammar guide explains the verb patterns behind these changes in more detail.
English Words Inside Tagalog
Everyday Filipino freely borrows English and Spanish words: mesa (table), kotse (car), traffic, cellphone, order. Using them is natural, not a shortcut. Our guide on Tagalog vs Filipino explains why.
How To Make Vocabulary Stick
- Learn words inside short phrases, not as isolated lists.
- Group words by situation: the market, the family table, getting around.
- Say every word out loud. Tagalog is spelled the way it sounds.
- Review a little every day instead of a lot once a week.
Build Your Tagalog Vocabulary
FiliLearn introduces vocabulary inside real scenes, with native audio, stories and a Word Builder that shows how each root grows into a family of words.
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