mahal kita
/maˌhal kiˈta/
mahal kita is the Tagalog phrase for I love you.
mahal kita is the standard and most common way to say I love you in Tagalog.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mahal (which can mean love, dear or expensive) and kita (a pronoun meaning 'I [do something to] you').
Which one should you use?
While mahal kita is the standard way to say 'I love you', using iniibig kita is a much more formal, poetic and intense way to express deep romantic love.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word kita is an enclitic pronoun that specifically encodes both the subject (I) and the object (you) in a single word.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˌhal kiˈta/
Did you know?
- The word kita in mahal kita is a homonym with another word kita that refers to earnings or salary, which was borrowed from the Spanish word quitación.
- While mahal kita is used for romantic partners, Filipinos also use the term mahal as a standalone pet name, similar to calling someone 'dear' or 'honey' in English.
Examples in context
- Mahal kita.I love you.
- Gusto kong malaman mong mahal kita.I want you to know that I love you.
- Sabi ko sa iyo, mahal kita.I told you, I love you.
Example conversation
Mark and Maria are saying goodbye before work.
- MarkIngat ka sa biyahe, Maria.Take care on your trip, Maria.
- MariaSalamat, Mark. Mahal kita!Thank you, Mark. I love you!
- MarkMahal kita rin.I love you too.
- MariaKita tayo mamayang gabi.See you later tonight.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mahal kita, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kita, mahal, mahal kita, CC BY-SA 4.0.
