Tagalog Words and Phrases

Around the House

The native Tagalog term for 'bedroom' is silid-tulugan, but is not commonly used. The word kuwarto or kwarto comes from the Spanish cuarto and strictly means any type of room. In most contexts in the Philippines, it refers to a bedroom. At a hotel's front desk, you'd say, Kailangan namin ng kwarto (We need a room).

In Spanish, la mesa means 'the table.' But in Tagalog, it has evolved into a single word: lamesa. Also, the Castilian-pronounced Spanish word silla, meaning 'chair,' has become silya in Tagalog. (A common Tagalog word for 'seat' is upuan.) The Tagalog word for couch, sopa, also comes from the Spanish sofá, hence the accent on the second syllable, instead of on the first as in English.

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pinto
door

bintana
window

sahig
floor

ceiling
kisame


bubong
roof

hagdanan
stairs