mahusay
/maˈhusaj/
The English phrase "great" can be translated into Tagalog as mahusay.
mahusay is an adjective used to describe something as very good.
Meaning: very good (adj)
Which one should you use?
mahusay and magaling both translate to "great" or "skilled," but mahusay often carries a connotation of a higher level of proficiency, elegance or mastery in a specific performance or craft. To intensify the word to mean "very great" or "extremely excellent," you can use the form napakahusay.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use mahusay as an adjective to modify a noun, you must add the linker na between the adjective and the noun, resulting in the form mahusay na.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈhusaj/
Did you know?
- The root word husay can also be used as a noun meaning 'order', 'neatness' or 'method'. This implies that being 'great' or 'excellent' in Tagalog is fundamentally linked to the idea of being well-ordered or efficient.
- In Tagalog, there is a subtle distinction between being 'great' via mahusay and magaling. While mahusay suggests elegance and mastery, magaling is the word used to describe a quick recovery from an illness.
- Using mahusay to describe someone's personality as 'great' can sound unnatural to native speakers. To praise a person's character, Filipinos typically use terms specifically for personality rather than the words for skill.
Examples in context
- Talagang mahusay ang sine.This movie is just great.This sentence is useful for expressing that a movie is great using mahusay.Tatoeba #1734365 by nonong, translation #60244 by CM
- Di niya isip na mahusay ang manunulat.He doesn't think that the writer is great.This sentence is useful for describing a writer as great using mahusay.Tatoeba #1931038 by nonong, translation #291569 by Dejo
- Ang dalubwikang si John Enrico ay gumawa ng mahusay na trabaho upang ipahayag ang mga bagay tungkol sa Haida, isang wika ng mga Paunang Bayan ng BC.The linguist John Enrico has done great work to publicize matters about a First Nations language, Haida of BC.This sentence is useful for describing great work using mahusay.Tatoeba #10776973 by nonong, translation #10776971 by nonong
- Maganda ang kalidad ng produktong ito.The quality of this product is great.
- Suwabe naman ang performance mo kanina sa basketball court!Your performance on the basketball court was great!
- Ang galing ng movie na pinanood natin kagabi.The movie we watched last night was great.
- Ang saya ng bakasyon natin sa Batangas!Our vacation in Batangas was great!
- Pangmalakasang effort mo sa pagkakasulat ng tula!Your effort in writing poems is great!
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Ricardo are discussing Ricardo's recent performance at a presentation.
- MariaMahusay ang iyong pagpapaliwanag kanina.Your explanation earlier was great.
- RicardoSalamat, Maria. Natuwa ako na nagustuhan mo.Thank you, Maria. I'm glad you liked it.
- MariaTalagang kahanga-hanga ang iyong galing.Your skill is truly impressive.
- RicardoMaraming salamat sa iyong papuri.Thank you very much for your praise.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mahusay, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
