mabait
/mabaˈʔit/
The English word 'nice' is translated to Tagalog as mabait.
mabait is used to describe a person's temperament or moral character, such as being kind or friendly. It is not used to describe the pleasantness of an object or an experience.
Meaning: attractive, friendly (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the prefix ma-, meaning 'having' or 'full of' and the root bait, meaning 'goodness' or 'kindness'.
Which one should you use?
While mabait refers to a person's character, maganda is used to describe physical attractiveness, such as being beautiful or pretty. The word magandang can be used before a noun to describe something as nice or beautiful.
How do you pronounce it?
/mabaˈʔit/
Did you know?
- While mabait means 'nice' or 'kind', the root word bait can also refer to a person's sanity or sense of reason in certain contexts.
- In some Philippine languages and older Tagalog contexts, the word bait can also refer to 'intelligence' or 'wit', meaning a 'nice' person was once one who was both good and clever.
- The word mabait is part of a larger family of adjectives using the prefix ma-, which is used across many Austronesian languages to denote an abundance of a quality.
Examples in context
- Sa katunayan, mabait siyang tao.In fact, he's a nice fellow.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a nice fellow using mabait.Tatoeba #11647067 by qwertzu, translation #10564049 by CK
- Isip kong talagang mabait na tao ka.I think you're a really nice guy.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a really nice guy using mabait.Tatoeba #1822081 by nonong, translation #68938 by CK
- Alam kong mabait na tao talaga si Tom.I know that Tom is a really nice person.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a really nice person using mabait.Tatoeba #11273344 by qwertzu, translation #7515145 by CK
- Ang iyong suot na damit ay maganda.Your dress is nice/beautiful.
- Ang pagsapit ng Pasko ay kaaya-aya.The coming of Christmas is nice/pleasant.
- Ganda ng kanta na iyong kinanta!The song you sang is nice/beautiful!
- Sarap ng kain natin kanina!Our meal earlier was nice/delicious!
- Magandang bahayNice house
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new coworker.
- MarkMabait ba ang bagong kasamahan mo?Is your new coworker nice?
- MariaOo, mabait siya sa akin.Yes, she is nice to me.
- MarkMabuti naman kung ganoon.That's good to hear then.
- MariaMarunong din siyang makisama.She also knows how to get along with others.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mabait, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mabait, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
