bahay
/ˈbahaj/
The English word home can be translated into Tagalog as bahay or tahanan.
Meaning: house or structure in which someone lives (noun)
Ways to say it
| Tagalog | IPA |
|---|---|
| bahay | /ˈbahaj/ /baˈhaj/ |
| tahanan | /taˈhanan/ /tahaˈnan/ |
In Tagalog, the word you choose depends on whether you are talking about a physical structure or an emotional concept. Use bahay to refer to a house or a physical building.
Which one should you use?
bahay refers specifically to the physical building or structure of a house. In contrast, tahanan refers to the emotional concept of home or a place that serves as a sanctuary or residence.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbahaj/
Did you know?
- The word bahay is a distant relative of the Hawaiian word hale and the Māori word whare. All these terms share a common ancestor from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language.
- While tahanan means home, the root word tahan is also used as a command to a crying child to 'stop' sobbing. This links the peace of a home to the act of becoming quiet.
- In the Philippines, the traditional bahay kubo is a stilt house made of bamboo and nipa palm. It is designed to breathe in the tropical heat and withstand floods.
Examples in context
- Wala siya sa bahay.He's not at home.This sentence shows how to use bahay to say someone is not at home.Tatoeba #4489991 by mayaman, translation #4489892 by CK
- Ang lamig sa bahay.It's freezing at home.This sentence uses bahay to describe the temperature at home.Tatoeba #11768277 by qwertzu, translation #11205362 by sundown
- Bakit nasa bahay ka?Why are you home?This sentence uses bahay to ask why someone is home.Tatoeba #8658430 by artemio, translation #1886530 by CK
- Ang aking tahanan ay malapit sa dagat.My home is near the sea.
- Ang aking kasalukuyang tirahan ay nasa lungsod.My current place of residence is in the city.
- Tara, pumunta tayo sa bahay ko!Come on, let's go to my house!
- Gusto kong umuwi sa aking lugar.I want to go back to my home/place.
- 114 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jose and Christina are talking about a new house.
- JoseMalaki ba ang bahay niyo?Is your house big?
- ChristinaHindi masyadong malaki ang bahay namin.Our house is not very big.
- JoseGusto ko pumunta sa bahay niyo.I want to go to your house.
- ChristinaSige, halika sa bahay namin mamaya.Sure, come to our house later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “home” translations and entries bahay, tahanan, 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.
