Welcome to the first chapter of this section! In this chapter, we’ll uncover how Tagalog nouns are formed, how they behave, and how an affix gives them meaning. By the end of this chapter, you’ll start seeing patterns everywhere — and you’ll start guessing what a noun means just by spotting the affix. We will cover these affixes in this chapter so that when you encounter these words, you will have a basic understanding of what the noun means.
Vocabulary:
- matandâ → old man/woman (noun)
- támbay → bystander
- kánin → rice
- labábo → sink
- dingdíng → wall
- kánto → intersection of a street
- búkid → field, farm, rice field
- malusóg → healthy
- matalíno → bright
- matálas → sharp
- matandâ → old (adj)
- puntá → go to / head to
- káin → eat
- lúkot → crumple
- labá → wash (laundry)
- laró → play
- bilí → buy
- gámit → to use
- sampál → slap
- kúha → take
- hánap → find, search
- alígid → to move, circle, hover nearby
- ípon → save (money)
Basic Root Words
These are the foundation. Some root words in Tagalog are already nouns on their own. No affixes needed.
Common Nouns
These are your everyday nouns — the basic words we use to name animals, people, objects, and ideas. They use the markers ang, ng, and sa.
- áso → dog
- bátà → child, kid
Examples:
- Malusóg ang áso. → The dog is healthy.
- Matalíno ang bátà. → The child is bright.
Proper Nouns
These are specific names for people, places, or events. They’re capitalized and use the markers si (ang), ni (ng), kay (sa) for people and pets, and sa itself for place names and events.
- si Adrian
- ni Samantha
- kay Sarah
- sa Las Piñas
- sa Paskó (Christmas)
Examples:
- Si Adrian ay Pilipíno. → Adrian is a Filipino.
- Púpunta si Sarah sa Las Piñas. → Sarah will go to Las Piñas.
Plural Nouns
Making a noun plural in Tagalog is super easy. Just slap mga before the noun and you’re done.
- áso (dog) → mga áso (dogs)
- papél (paper) → mga papél (papers)
- papéles (document) → mga papéles (documents)
Examples:
- Kumakáin ang mga áso. → The dogs are eating.
- Nilúkot ni Sharon ang mga papél. → Sharon crumpled the papers.
Tagalog placed most of the complexity into verbs — so nouns get to rest. We don’t have to worry about irregular plural nouns like in English.
- bátà (child) → mga bátà (children)
- lóbo (wolf) → mga lóbo (wolves)
Using “Mga” with English Nouns
You can also do this for English nouns. Use the singular form when used with mga. But if the English noun is a plural-only noun — or something that you use “a pair of…” with — like shoes, gloves, scissors, etc… use the plural form.
- mga pencil
- gloves
- mga document
- scissors
Examples:
- Nilabhán ni Wencey ang gloves. → Lucas washed the gloves.
- Bíbili si Nathan ng shoes. → Nathan will buy a pair of shoes.
- Ginámit ni Guidon ang scissors. → Guidon used the scissors.
- Matálas ang mga pencil. → The pencils are sharp. (In daily convos, the singular term ‘pencil’ is more commonly used.)
Noun Genders
Unlike Spanish or French, Tagalog nouns are mostly gender neutral. But you’ll still see some gendered terms, especially for family members and people. There’s also a small number of words that has the /o/ and /a/ endings, influenced by Spanish.
| English | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| parents | tátay | nánay |
| elder sibling | kuyá | áte |
| grandparents | lólo | lóla |
| uncles / aunt | títo | títa |
| teenager | binatílyo | dalagíta |
| adolescent | bináta | dalága |
| a gossip | chismóso | chismósa |
Examples:
- Sinampál ng babáe ang chismósa. → The woman slapped the gossip.
- Kumúha ng police clearance ang mga bináta. → The teenage boys requested for a police clearance.
That’s about much of what I can cover for root words that function as nouns.
Root Words with Attached Affixes
The next set of nouns are nouns that have affixes that, when attached to root words, become a noun that has an inherent meaning related to the root word.
Root words with “-an” / “-han” suffix
This affix turns a root into a place:
- káin (eat) → kainán (a place to eat)
- túlog (sleep) → tulugán (a place to sleep on)
- lútò (cook) → lutuán (a place to cook)
- bilí (buy) → bilíhan (a place to buy something)
- bilyár (billiards) → bilyáran (a place to play billiards)
Examples:
- Náglaro ang mga binatílyo sa bilyáran. → The teenage boys played at the billiard hall.
- Nagháhanap ang mga hiker ng tulugán sa bundók. → The hikers searched for a place to sleep in the mountain.
It can also indicate an event:
- sayáw (dance) → sayáwan (a dance event/dance contest)
- kantá (sing) → kantáhan (a singing event)
- súntok (punch) → suntúkan (a square off)
- baríl (gun) → barílan (a shootout with guns)
Examples:
- Nakíta ng támbay ang barílan sa kánto. → The bystander saw the shootout at the intersection.
- Sasáli ang bisíta sa kantáhan. → The guest will join the singing session. (a Filipino party is not complete without a karaoke session or a singing session.)
Or it can also be just a thing related to that action or idea:
- óras (time) → orasán (wall clock)
- singáw (to vent) → singáwan (venting)
- listá (to list) → listáhan (a list)
- síne (movie) → sinehán (cinema)
Examples:
- Tinanggal nina Corinne at Wyne ang orasán sa dingdíng. → Corinne and Wyne took the clock from the wall.
- Natúlog ang matandâ sa sinehán. → The old man/old woman slept inside the cinema.
Colloquial Filipino words or popular terms that have made it into daily speech also benefit from this affix.
- yósi (cigarette) → yosihán (smoking area)
- karaóke → karaokehán (a karaoke place)
- compúter → computerán (internet cafe — quite awkward but you will hear this somewhere somehow)
As for other English words, use it sparingly. Not all English words, even common ones, benefit from this affix. If anything, just use the proper English term for it.
- hardware → hardware-an (just use “hardware store”)
- appliance → appliance-san (this word cannot even be affixed properly — just use “appliance store”)
Root words with “pa-” prefix and “-an” / “-han” suffix
This combo turns a root word into a place where something regularly happens:
- áral (study) → paaralán (school)
- gupít (cut) → pagupítan (barber / salon)
- Papások ang bátà sa paaralán. → The child will go to school.
Or it could also mean a competition:
- gandá (beauty) → pagandáhan (beauty competition)
- bilís (speed) → pabilísan (a speed contest)
Root words with “-in” / “-hin” suffix
These nouns refer to a category of things that needs to be acted upon:
- bilí (buy) → bilíhin (consumer items, grocery, etc)
- húgas (wash) → hugasín (kitchen utensil / dinnerware waiting to be washed)
- báyad (pay) → bayarín (bills to pay)
This is different from the -in verbs you learned about in the previous section. Although they might be similar in spelling, the way they’re pronounced is different.
Example:
- Naiípon ang mga hugasín sa labábo. → The dishes are adding up in the sink.
Root words with “ka-” prefix
Forms a noun that means having something in common. Basically, this is Tagalog’s counterpart for -mate:
- kláse (class) → kakláse (classmate)
- opisína (office) → kaopisína (officemate)
- batch → kabátch (someone in the same year as you)
- kompeténsiya (competition) → kakompeténsiya (rival)
Examples:
- Ginísing nina Carl ang kaopisína. → Carl woke up the colleague.
- Kinópya ng kakláse ang homework. → The classmate copied the homework.
Root words with “ka-” prefix and “-an” / “-hin” suffix
This affix combo branches into two ideas: number 1, it means someone you share an activity with:
- kwénto (story) → kákwentúhan (someone you share a story with)
- chísmis (gossip) → káchismísan (someone you share a gossip with)
- biro (joke) → kábiruán (someone you joke around with)
It can also express an abstract idea or state, or the severity of a trait. Basically, your -ness in English.
- lungkót (sad) → kalungkútan (sadness)
- gandá (beauty) → kagandáhan (beauty)
- gwápo (handsome) → kagwapúhan (handsomeness)
- tangá (idiot) → katangahán (stupidity)
- córny → kakórnihan (corniness, lame, “unfunny”-ness)
It can also mean a vast space or a general term for something:
- láwak (wide) → kalawákan (universe)
- bundók (mountain) → kabundúkan (mountain range)
- tímog (south) → katimúgan (the South, Southern)
- bátà (child) → kabatáan (youth)
Examples:
- Nakikíta ang kalawákan sa gabí. → The universe is visible at night.
Root words with “mang-” / “mag-”
Forms a noun that expresses profession or something one does regularly:
- sáka (to farm) → magsasaká (farmer)
- ísdà (fish) → mangingísdà (fisherman)
- lóko (to fool) → manlolóko (fraud, conman, scammer)
Examples:
- Pumúnta ang magsasaká sa búkid. → The farmer went to the field.
- Umaaligíd ang manlolóko sa gate. → The scammer is lurking near the gate.
Mag- can also produce nouns that indicate relationships:
- pínsan (cousin) → magpínsan (cousins)
- amá (father) → mag-amá (father and son)
- iná (mother) → mag-iná (mother and daughter)
- kapatíd (sibling) → magkapatíd (siblings)
- jówà (girlfriend/boyfriend; slang, gay lingo) → magjówà (couple)
Examples:
- Nanoód ang magjówà ng movie. → The couple watched a movie.
- Papások sa school ang magkapatíd. → The siblings are going to school.
Root words with “pag-”
Turns an action into a concept, process, or activity.
- lútò (cook) → paglulútò (the act of cooking)
- dasál (pray) → pagdárasal (the act of praying)
- bása (read) → pagbabasá (the act of reading)
Root words with “pang-”
Indicates tools or things used for something:
- dikít (to stick; adhere) → pandikít (adhesive)
- hálò (mix) → panghálò (collective term for tools used for mixing)
- báhay (house) → pambáhay (usually clothes that you only wear at home)
- bírthday → pambírthday (usually money you use to spend on your birthday or clothes you wear on your special day
Examples:
- Mag-íipon si Joey ng pambírthday. → Joey will save money for his birthday treat.
Root words with “tagá-”
Forms nouns that indicate that someone/something is from…
- taga-Tókyo (person from Tokyo)
- taga-Swéden (person from Sweden)
Examples:
- Nagúlat ang mga taga-Tokyo sa Boracay. → The people from Tokyo were surprised in Boracay.
Or it could also mean to refer someone that is a regular doer of an activity, or the assigned one that will be doing the action
- sílip (look) → taga-sílip (lookout)
- labá (do laundry) → tagalabá (person who does the laundry)
- lútò (cook) → tagalútò (assigned cook)
Examples:
- Nagsáing ng kánin ang tagalútò. → The [assigned] cook cooked rice.
Conclusion
Whew! This chapter was a handful. You’ve seen how powerful affixes are in building words. There are a lot of Tagalog root words that follow these patterns so, I am going to trust your flashcards for your vocabulary needs.
And since our sentences are getting quite a bit longer now with all these Tagalog nouns, it’s time to introduce the Tagalog pronouns — little words that keep us from repeating ourselves every sentence. Onward!