tahanan
/taˈhanan/
In Filipino, the English word home can be translated as bahay or tahanan.
Meaning: house or structure in which someone lives (noun)
Ways to say it
| Filipino | IPA |
|---|---|
| tahanan | /taˈhanan/ /tahaˈnan/ |
| bahay | /ˈbahaj/ /baˈhaj/ |
The term refers to a house or a structure in which someone lives. While both words can mean home, they are used differently depending on whether you are referring to a physical building or the emotional concept of a home.
Which one should you use?
bahay is the common term that specifically refers to the physical structure or house. In contrast, tahanan is more abstract and carries a warmer, more emotional connotation of a dwelling or home.
How do you pronounce it?
/taˈhanan/
Did you know?
- While bahay refers to the physical building, the root of tahanan is also used in the phrase tahan na, which is what parents say to comfort a crying child to make them stop.
- The word bahay is a distant relative of the Hawaiian word hale and the Māori word whare. All these words descend from a single ancestral term for a house used thousands of years ago.
- In traditional Filipino culture, the bahay kubo is a stilt house made of bamboo and nipa palm. These structures are designed to be lifted and moved to a new location by the entire community.
Examples in context
- Wala siya sa bahay.He's not at home.This sentence shows how to say someone is not at the bahay.Tatoeba #4489991 by mayaman, translation #4489892 by CK
- Ang lamig sa bahay.It's freezing at home.This sentence describes the temperature inside the bahay.Tatoeba #11768277 by qwertzu, translation #11205362 by sundown
- Bakit nasa bahay ka?Why are you home?This sentence asks why someone is currently at the bahay.Tatoeba #8658430 by artemio, translation #1886530 by CK
- Sana ay nasa tahanan ka na.I hope you are already at home.
- Nakauwi na rin ako sa aking pugad.I finally came back to my home.
- 114 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ricardo and Christina are talking about a new house.
- RicardoMaganda ang bago ninyong tahanan.Your new home is beautiful.
- ChristinaSalamat, Ricardo.Thank you, Ricardo.
- RicardoMasaya ako para sa inyo.I am happy for you.
- ChristinaMaraming salamat sa pagbisita.Thank you very much for visiting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “home” translations and entries tahanan, bahay, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bahay, tahanan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
