aklatan
/ʔakˈlatan/
The English word library is aklatan in Tagalog. Wiktionary also lists silid-aklatan.
Meaning: institution which holds books, etc. (noun)
Ways to say it
| Tagalog | IPA |
|---|---|
| aklatan | /ʔakˈlatan/ (Standard Tagalog) |
| silid-aklatan | /siˌlid ʔakˈlatan/ (Standard Tagalog) |
Both aklatan and silid-aklatan mean library. In casual conversation, many Tagalog speakers use the English loanword library instead of the native aklatan.
What does it mean word for word?
The word aklatan is derived from aklat (book) with the suffix -an, which denotes a place or a collection of things, literally meaning "place of books".
Which one should you use?
While aklatan refers to the institution or collection of books, silid-aklatan specifically refers to the physical room or reading room of a library.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔakˈlatan/
Did you know?
- The word aklat used to form aklatan is actually a loanword from the Spanish libro, but it arrived in the Philippines via the Malay word kitab.
- Because aklat comes from Arabic, it is linguistically related to 'alphabet' and 'almanac' in English.
- In some regional dialects of the Philippines, people might use the word bibliyoteka, a direct adaptation of the Spanish 'biblioteca', instead of aklatan.
Examples in context
- Maraming luku-luko sa aklatan.There's a lot of crazies in the library.This sentence is useful for describing the people found in the aklatan.Tatoeba #2153249 by nonong, translation #573846 by FeuDRenais2
- Bawal ang pagsasalita sa aklatan.Talking in the library is not allowed.This sentence is useful for stating rules within the aklatan.Tatoeba #1700225 by nonong, translation #270676 by brauliobezerra
- Sinauli mo na ba ang aklat sa aklatan?Did you take the book back to the library?This sentence is useful for asking about returning a book to the aklatan.Tatoeba #1764919 by nonong, translation #43884 by CK
- Gusto ko pumunta sa aklatan para maghanap ng mga aklat.I want to go to the library to look for books.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Christina and Ricardo are discussing where to study for their exam.
- ChristinaPumunta tayo sa aklatan bukas.Let's go to the library tomorrow.
- RicardoSige, anong oras tayo magkikita?Okay, what time shall we meet?
- ChristinaAlas-nuwebe na lang tayo sa aklatan.Let's just meet at the library at nine.
- RicardoSige, Ricardo ang bahala sa libro.Okay, Ricardo will take care of the books.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “library” translations and entries aklatan, silid-aklatan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
