pagbati
/paɡˈbatiʔ/
To say greetings in Tagalog in a formal way, use pagbati or open with Malugod na pagbati, meaning warm greetings.
pagbati means greeting and is used in formal contexts such as speeches, letters and official ceremonies. Malugod na pagbati is a common way to open a letter or a speech.
Meaning: formal way of saying "hello" (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
pagbati is formed from the prefix pag-, which marks an action or process and the root bati, meaning to greet.
Which one should you use?
pagbati is a formal noun, while kumusta is the common everyday way to say hello or how are you. For greeting someone by time of day, say Magandang umaga for good morning, Magandang araw for good day and Magandang gabi for good evening.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
pagbati is formal. To be polite to elders or strangers, add po, as in Magandang umaga po, Magandang tanghali po, Magandang hapon po and Magandang gabi po. Kamusta ka is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make it plural, put the marker mga before the word: mga pagbati.
When do people say it?
Adding po at the end of a greeting shows respect and politeness, especially toward older people.
Did you know?
- The common greeting kumusta is actually a phonetic adaptation of the Spanish '¿cómo está?', which itself comes from Latin.
- In Filipino culture, a formal greeting to an elder is often accompanied by pagmano, the act of taking the elder's hand and pressing it to one's forehead.
- While pagbati is used for formal greetings, the root word bati can also mean 'to reconcile' after an argument. In this context, greeting someone is seen as the act of restoring a broken relationship.
Examples in context
- Tanggapin niyo ang aking pagbati.Please accept my greetings.
- Nagpadala siya ng pagbati para sa inyo.He sent his greetings to you.
Example conversation
Juan and Jasmine meet at a formal business event.
- JuanIsang pagbati sa iyo, Jasmine.A greeting to you, Jasmine.
- JasmineSalamat, Juan. Kumusta ka na?Thank you, Juan. How are you?
- JuanMabuti naman ako. Salamat sa pagdating.I am doing well. Thank you for coming.
- JasmineIkinagagalak ko ring makita ka.I am also glad to see you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pagbati, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
