puti
/puˈtiʔ/
In Tagalog, the English phrase 'white person' is expressed using puti.
Which one should you use?
The most natural way to say 'white person' is taong puti, which combines tao (person) and puti (white). For a more descriptive approach, you can use maputing tao to specifically describe a person with white skin.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form maputing tao uses the prefix ma- to describe a person with white skin, which is often more natural in descriptive Tagalog than using the noun puti directly.
How do you pronounce it?
/puˈtiʔ/
Did you know?
- While taong puti describes a white person, Filipinos often use the loanword Kano as a shorthand for Americans, regardless of whether the person is actually white.
- While taong puti refers to skin color, the colloquial term tisoy or tisay is more frequently used to describe someone with Caucasian features.
- In traditional Filipino beauty standards, the desire to be maputi is often expressed through the use of skin-whitening products, which are ubiquitous in local pharmacies and markets.
Example conversation
Jose and Maria are talking about a new neighbor.
- JoseSino ang bagong kapitbahay natin?Who is our new neighbor?
- MariaIsang puti na galing sa Canada.A white person from Canada.
- JoseMabait ba siya?Is he kind?
- MariaOo, mukhang mabait siya.Yes, he seems kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry puti, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
