maganda
/maɡanˈda/
The Tagalog word for pretty is maganda.
Maganda is used to describe someone as pretty or attractive, particularly in reference to women and children. Beyond people, you can also use maganda to describe scenery, weather or an idea as being beautiful or good.
Meaning: especially of women and children: pleasant, attractive (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
As a predicate adjective, maganda does not change its form based on the gender of the subject. If you need to refer to the noun form, 'beauty', use kagandahan.
How do you pronounce it?
/maɡanˈda/
Did you know?
- The most common greeting in the Philippines, Magandang umaga, literally means 'beautiful morning'. Using maganda here transforms a simple 'good morning' into a wish for the morning to be beautiful.
- When someone says Maganda ang loob, they are not talking about physical beauty, but describing a person who is kind-hearted or has a 'beautiful inner self'.
- To emphasize that someone is 'very pretty', Filipinos often repeat the root word and say magandang-maganda, a grammatical feature called reduplication.
Examples in context
- Pareho po kayong maganda.You're both pretty.This sentence shows how to use maganda to address multiple people.Tatoeba #11830666 by qwertzu, translation #2218121 by CK
- Ang sinumang lalaking nakakapagmaneho nang ligtas habang hinahalikan ang isang magandang babae ay hindi nagbibigay ng karampatang atensiyon sa paghalik.Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty lady is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.This sentence uses maganda to describe a lady.Tatoeba #11570226 by qwertzu, translation #509746 by Shishir
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man compliments a woman on her appearance during a date.
- RicardoMaganda ka sa suot mong damit.You look beautiful in the dress you are wearing.
- AngelaSalamat, Ricardo.Thank you, Ricardo.
- RicardoBagay na bagay sa iyo.It suits you very well.
- AngelaAng bait mo naman.You are so kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry maganda, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
