tanda ng krus
The phrase for "the sign of the cross" in Tagalog is tanda ng krus.
If you want to express the action of performing the gesture, use the verb form magtanda ng krus.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tanda (sign/mark), ng (of) and krus (cross).
When do people say it?
In the Philippines, tanda ng krus is most commonly used in a Catholic religious context.
Did you know?
- The spelling of the particle ng in 'tanda ng krus' is a relic of a defunct Spanish abbreviation system. It originally used a tilde over the nasal sound to represent 'nang', but the symbol was dropped because American-era typewriters could not easily type it.
- In the Philippines, the gesture of tanda ng krus is often performed not just during prayer, but as a quick protective motion when passing by a church.
- While 'tanda' means 'sign' or 'mark', its distant linguistic relatives in Southeast Asia, such as the Javanese 'tandha', originally referred to a military ensign or banner.
Examples in context
- Gumawa siya ng tanda ng krus.He made the sign of the cross.
- Ang tanda ng krus ay mahalaga sa amin.The sign of the cross is important to us.
- Nagdasal siya at gumawa ng tanda ng krus.She prayed and made the sign of the cross.
Example conversation
Ricardo and Jasmine are entering a church.
- RicardoJasmine, gumawa ka muna ng tanda ng krus.Jasmine, make the sign of the cross first.
- JasmineSige, Ricardo. Gagawin ko na.Okay, Ricardo. I will do it now.
- RicardoImportante ito bago tayo pumasok.This is important before we enter.
- JasmineTapos na ako sa tanda ng krus.I am finished with the sign of the cross.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries krus, ng, tanda, CC BY-SA 4.0.
