How to Say "Her" in Tagalog - How To Say Guide

kaniya

/kaniˈa/

The Tagalog word for 'her' is kaniya.

kaniya is a pronoun used to refer to a female person as the object of a verb or preposition.

Which one should you use?

The word kaniya is gender-neutral in Tagalog and can mean both 'her' and 'him' depending on the context.

When 'her' is the object of a preposition, it is often preceded by the marker sa, resulting in sa kaniya to mean 'to/for her'.

/kaniˈa/

The word kaniya traces its roots back to the Proto-Philippine form *kania, connecting it to the ancient linguistic history of the archipelago.
In many informal Tagalog conversations, you might hear people drop the 'i' and say kanya instead. While kaniya is the formal dictionary form, kanya is the version most commonly heard in daily life in Manila.
If you are telling a story in Tagalog using only kaniya, your audience might become confused about whether your protagonist is male or female.

Naiinggit ako sa kaniya.
I envy her.
This sentence shows how to express envy toward the person using kaniya.
Tatoeba #8660578 by artemio, translation #1414039 by Eldad
Naniniwala ako sa kaniya.
I've got faith in her.
This sentence demonstrates expressing faith in the person using kaniya.
Tatoeba #13647975 by kangkong, translation #11952698 by Fenrir
Lahat may gusto sa kaniya.
Everyone likes her.
This sentence shows how to express that people like the person using kaniya.
Tatoeba #8635343 by artemio, translation #430471 by CM
Ang libro ay kanya.
The book is hers.
Ipinarating niya ang mensahe sa kanyang boss.
She conveyed the message to her boss.
Ang cellphone ay sa kanya pa rin.
The cellphone is still hers.
Binigyan niya siya ng bulaklak.
She gave her flowers.
19 more sentences on Tatoeba

Juan and Maria are talking about a female friend.

Sources

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