mabuti
/maˈbuti/
The Tagalog word for good is mabuti.
mabuti is used to describe something that is good in a moral or quality sense, such as being a good person or distinguishing good from evil. It can also mean well or fine. If you want to express that something is good in an emotional or experiential sense, such as being pleasant or fun, you would use masaya instead. For a noun representing goodness or happiness, use kasiyahan.
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
Which one should you use?
While mabuti refers to quality or morality, masaya is used when 'good' refers to an experience being pleasant or fun.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective mabuti is invariant, meaning it does not change its form to agree with gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈbuti/
When do people say it?
When someone asks you Kumusta ka? (How are you?), a common response to indicate that things are going well is Mabuti naman.
Did you know?
- The word mabuti is rooted in the Sanskrit word bhūti, which relates to existence and prosperity.
- There is a distinct difference between mabuti (morally good) and maganda (aesthetically good), the latter of which is often used to mean 'good' in English when referring to an idea.
- Tagalog has various ways to say 'good' that are not interchangeable, such as mahusay for someone who is good at a skill or craft.
Examples in context
- Mabuti po siyang tao.He is a good fellow.This sentence uses mabuti to describe a person.Tatoeba #11647084 by qwertzu, translation #288943 by CC
- Mabuting kaibigan si John.John is a good friend.This sentence uses mabuti to describe a friend.Tatoeba #4517807 by kanlaon, translation #4515083 by kunwoo
- Alam mo ba ang mabuti sa masama?Do you know good from evil?This sentence uses mabuti to distinguish between good and evil.Tatoeba #11476888 by qwertzu, translation #17459 by Zifre
- Maganda ang panahon ngayon.The weather is good today.
- Maganda ang kanyang pagkanta.Her singing is good.
- Maganda ang pagkakagawa ng proyekto.The project was done well.
- Mabuti po ako. Salamat sa pagtatanong.I am good. Thank you for asking.
- Ganda ng suot mo!Your outfit looks good!
- Okay lang yan.That's okay.
- Okay lang ako. Ikaw?I'm fine. How about you?
- Maganda ang ginawa mo.What you did was good.
- magandang trabahoGood job
- magandang kapalaranGood luck
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Christina and Juan are discussing a movie they just watched.
- ChristinaMabuti ang naging karanasan ko sa pelikulang ito.I had a good experience with this movie.
- JuanAko rin, talagang nakakaaliw ang kuwento.Me too, the story was really entertaining.
- ChristinaMabuti na napanood natin ito nang magkasama.It is good that we watched this together.
- JuanOo, masaya ako na nagustuhan mo rin.Yes, I'm happy that you liked it too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mabuti, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mabuti, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
