If you're trying to learn the Tagalog Alphabet which is also called Filipino, check our courses about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Tagalog grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and memorize the sounds. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Tagalog. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Tagalog alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Without it, you will not be able to say words properly even if you know how to write those words. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Tagalog language.
Below is a table showing the Tagalog alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Tagalog Alphabet | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
|---|---|---|
| A a | /a/ | as in hat |
| B b | /b/ | as in book |
| C c | /k/ or/s/ | as in cat or city |
| D d | /d/ | as in dog |
| E e | /ɛ/ | as in elephant |
| F f | /f/ | as in food |
| G g | /g/ | as in gold |
| H h | /h/ | as in house |
| I i | /i/ | as in Italy |
| J j | /dʒ/or /h/ | as in job |
| K k | /k/ | as in kit |
| L l | /l/ | as in life |
| M m | /m/ | as in mouse |
| N n | /n/ | as in noon |
| Ñ ñ | /ɲ/,/nʲ/ or/nj/ | as in España |
| Ng ng | /ŋ/ | as in sing |
| O o | /o/ | as in old |
| P p | /p/ | as in play |
| Q q | /kʷ/ | as in quiz |
| R r | /ɾ/ | as in road |
| S s | /s/ | as in smile |
| T t | /t/ | as in time |
| U u | /u/ | as in up |
| V v | /v/ | as in vast |
| W w | /w/ | as in wind |
| X x | /ks/ | as in ox |
| Y y | /j/ | as in you |
| Z z | /z/ | as in zebra |
Tagalog is the language spoken in the Philippines. It comes from tag ilog, which means the people by the river, meaning the people of Manilla. Originally they had their own alphabet, but when the Spaniards conquered the Philippines in the latin script was introduced. The Philippines alphabet exist only out of 20 letters, there is no c, v, f , x, q, or r. Tagalog words can be very long and can have 3 or more vocals after each other. These vowels are each pronounced separately, thus with a glottal stop in between, like Maaari (perhaps) pronounced as ma-a-a-ri.
You saw how a letter is written and might be pronounced, but there is nothing better than hearing the sound of the letters in a video or audio. Below you will be able to hear how the letters above are pronounced, just press the play button:
| Tagalog Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Tagalog. Once you're done with the Filipino alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Tagalog lessons here: Learn Tagalog. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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