In this chapter, we’ll dive into the world of Tagalog adjectives — words that let you describe what something is like. Whether you’re talking about the color of a house, the size of a book, or the attitude of a cat, adjectives help you add flavor to your sentences. We’ll break down the common types of adjectives, how to use them, and how to link them properly to the nouns they describe. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to add vivid descriptions in Tagalog with ease. ✨
Vocabulary:
- kapál → thickness
- makapál → thick
- kulít → naughty
- makulít → naughty
- lakí → size
- malakí → big
- batà → child, kid
- babae → woman, lady
- nanay → mother
- lola → old woman, grandmother
- tatay → father
- kaklase → classmate
- jowà → boyfriend/girlfriend (colloquial)
- taò → person
- pusà → cat
- kalaban → opponent, enemy
- tulâ → poem
- libró → book
- kable → cable wire, wire, cable
- bubóng → roof
- bahay → house
- hayop → animal
- daán → road
- ugalì → trait, personality, behavior
- uwî → go home
- gising → wake up
- dalá → bring
- hanap → find, look for
- akyát → climb
- bilí → buy
- suntók → punch
- hilík → snore
- laglág → fall
- kita → see
- sigáw → shout
The “Na / -ng” Linker Particle
In English, modifying a noun is very straightforward. You just put the adjective before the noun: ‘a red car’, ‘a beautiful girl’, ‘a sunny day’. In Tagalog, we need something to link the two words. And that’s the job of the na/-ng linker particle. This particle connects the adjective to the noun. It follows this order: adjective na noun.
| Adjective | na particle | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| makulay (colorful) | na | buhay (life) |
| masayá (happy) | -ng | kaopisina (officemate) |
| maputî (white, light-colored) | -ng | aso (dog) |
| mayaman (rich) | -g | tao (person) |
If the adjective ends in a consonant, use na. But if the adjective ends in a vowel or /n/, attach -ng or -g to the adjective so that it ends in a /ng/ sound.
- makulay na buhay → a colorful life
- masayáng kaopisina → a happy officemate
- maputíng aso → a white dog
- mayamang tao → a rich person
That’s basically how you add adjectives to your nouns. Now let’s proceed with the common types of adjectives you will encounter and use.
“Ma” Adjectives
The examples above are called ma- adjectives. Don’t confuse this with the ma- affix used for verbs. Ma- adjectives are also root words affixed with ma-. This type of adjectives often describes someone/something that possesses a trait.
- habà (length) → mahabà (long)
- kapál (thickness) → makapál (thick)
- kulay (color) → makulay (colorful)
- gandá (beauty) → magandá (beautiful)
- yaman (wealth) → mayaman (rich)
- sayá (joy) → masayá (happy)
NOTE: As a learner, it’s not always obvious whether a root word refers to an action, a thing, or a description. Or ALL OF THEM at once.
Examples:
| basic phrase | mahabang tulâ → a long poem |
| action sentence | Ni-recite ni Kaye ang mahabang tulâ. → Kaye recited the long poem. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Mahabà ang tulâ. → The poem is long. |
| basic phrase | makapál na libró → a thick book |
| action sentence | Nagdalá siyá ng makapál na libró sa classroom. → He/she brought a thick book inside the classroom. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Makapál ang libró. → The book is thick. |
| basic phrase | makulay na bahay → a colorful house |
| action sentence | Hahanapin ko ang makulay na bahay sa beach. → I will find the colorful house at the beach. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Makulay ang bahay. → The house is colorful. |
| basic phrase | magandáng babae → a beautiful lady |
| action sentence | Sumayáw ang magandáng babae sa stage. → The beautiful lady danced on stage. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Magandá si Ryujin. → Ryujin is beautiful. |
| basic phrase | mayamang lola → a rich grandmother |
| action sentence | Bumilí ng condo unit ang mayamang lola. → The rich grandma bought a condo unit. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Mayaman si lola. → Grandma is rich. |
| basic phrase | masayáng pusà → a happy cat |
| action sentence | Inakyát ng masayáng pusà ang bubóng. → The happy cat climbed the roof. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Masayá ang pusà. → The cat is happy. |
Plurals with Ma-
To describe plural nouns, repeat the first syllable of the root word, then attach ma-:
- Take the root word. → kulay, gandá
- Repeat the first syllable (without the last consonant, if any) →(ku)kulay, (ga)gandá
- Attach the “ma-” as a prefix → (ma)kukulay, (ma)gagandá
Examples:
- mga mahahabang tulâ → long poems
- Mahahaba ang mga tulâ. → The poems are long.
- mga makakapál na libró → thick books
- Makakapál ang mga libró. → The books are thick.
- mga makukulay na bulaklák → colorful flowers
- Makukulay ang mga bulaklák. → The flowers are beautiful.
“In” Adjectives
Other Tagalog adjectives are affixed with -in suffix. Adjectives formed with -in indicate habits or something that is recurring, often not-so-redeeming qualities, or very redeeming qualities.
- sakít (sickness) → sakitin (sickly)
- antók (drowse) → antukin (tends to get sleepy regularly)
- yaman (wealth) → yamanín (rich, wealthy; very casual)
- bigát (weight) → bigatin (one with big influence; a bigshot in the field or industry)
Examples:
| basic phrase | sakiting batà → sickly kid |
| action sentence | Umuwí ang sakiting batà. → The sickly kid went home. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Sakitin si Ben. → Ben is sickly. |
| basic phrase | antuking kaopisina → a sleepy coworker |
| action sentence | Gumising ang antuking kaopisina. → The sleepy coworker woke up. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Antukin si Rico. → Rico is sleepy. |
| basic phrase | yamaníng pamilya → a wealthy family |
| action sentence | Bumilí ang yamaníng pamilya ng malakíng bahay. → The wealthy family bought a big house. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Yamanín ang mga taga-Ayala Alabang Village. → The people from Ayala Alabang Village are wealthy. |
| basic phrase | bigating boksingero → a bigshot boxer |
| action sentence | Sinuntok ng bigating boksingero ang kalaban. → The bigshot boxer punched the opponent. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Bigatin si Manny Pacquiao sa Pilipinas. → Manny Pacquiao is big in the Philippines. |
Plurals with -In
No repeating syllables for -in adjective plurals. Just add mga:
Examples:
- sakiting batà → sickly child
- mga sakiting batà → sickly children
- antuking kaopisina → sleepy coworker
- mga antuking kaopisina → sleepy coworkers
- yamaníng pamilya → wealthy family
- mga yamaníng pamilya → wealthy families
- bigating boksingero → bigshot boxer
- mga bigating boksingero → bigshot boxers
Non-affixed Tagalog Adjectives
There are also Tagalog adjectives that can be used without affixes. While these words are technically verbs that can be conjugated, they stay as a root word when used as an adjective. These words describe a state something or someone is currently (or permanently) in. Common words are: buháy (alive), patáy (dead), galít (angry), tulóg (asleep), pagód (tired).
Examples:
| basic phrase | galít na nanay → an angry mother |
| action sentence | Sumigáw ang galit na nanay. → The angry mother shouted. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Galit siya. → She is mad. |
| basic phrase | tulóg na tatay → a sleeping father |
| action sentence | Humíhilik ang tulóg na tatay. → The sleeping dad is snoring. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Tulóg silá. → They are asleep. |
| basic phrase | buháy na kable → a live wire |
| action sentence | Nalaglág ang buháy na kable sa sahíg. → The live wire fell on the floor. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Buháy ako. → I am alive. |
| basic phrase | patáy na hayop → a dead animal |
| action sentence | Nakíta ni Jonnel ang patáy na hayop sa daán. → Jonnel saw a dead animal on the road. |
| predicate-subject sentence | Patáy tayo. → We are dead. (a common expression in situations where you’re f*ed) |
English Adjectives
Pairing English adjectives with a Tagalog noun is a hit-or-miss kind of thing. Saying something like “Kinain ng fat na batà ang chicken.” sounds straight-up awkward — and harsh. In cases like this, it’s usually better to keep it Tagalog-Tagalog or English-English.
- Kinain ng matabáng batà ang chicken. → The fat kid ate the chicken.
- Kinain ng fat kid ang chicken. → The fat kid ate the chicken. (still kind of awkward but acceptable)
That said, there are some English adjectives that have found their way into everyday speech, mainly because it is: short and casual, not harsh, emotionally expressive, common in pop culture, or not easily translated in Tagalog. Here are some of these adjectives:
- cute → cute na baby (a cute baby)
- chubby → chubby na batà (a chubby kid)
- sexy → sexy(-ng) model (a sexy model)
- funny → funny na palabás (a funny show)
- sweet → sweet na anák (a sweet daughter/son)
- strict → strict na boss (a strict boss)
- clingy → clingy na jowà (a clingy partner)
- random → random na taò (a random person)
- fit → fit na lola (a fit grandma)
- weird → weird na ugalì (a weird trait)
- late → late na kaklase (a late/tardy classmate)
There are plenty more of these adjectives, and you will discover them naturally as you immerse yourself in Tagalog. As a quick rule of thumb, if an English adjective checks at least two of the criteria below, then it probably works fine with a Tagalog noun:
- two syllables max
- ends in a /t/ or /ee/ sound
- not too rude or harsh in tone
Conclusion
You’ve just learned how to use Tagalog adjectives to describe people, things, and moods. We covered the basic types of adjectives and how they are placed in a sentence. You also saw how some English adjectives have slipped naturally into Tagalog sentences.
More importantly, with the na/-ng linker, not only you can use adjectives to describe a noun, but also verbs and full phrases so you can form a much more specific description of a noun like ‘a sleeping dog’ or ‘a hidden treasure’. We’ll dive into that in the coming chapters!