Photo: Karl Raymund Catabas (Unsplash License)
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Language of Philippines
The Philippines is home to more than 170 languages! The most widely spoken ones are Filipino and English, but there are many other regional languages and dialects. Filipino is based on Tagalog and is the national language. English is also official and widely used in education and media.
Test Your Knowledge
About the Script
In the Philippines, you'll often see words written using the Latin alphabet, just like in English. But listening closely, you'll notice sounds that are special to Filipino languages.
Script Explorer
Baybayin
Long before the Latin alphabet arrived, Filipinos wrote with Baybayin. Each consonant letter already carries an 'a' sound, so one symbol stands for a whole syllable like 'ba' or 'ka'. Small marks above or below a letter switch the vowel to 'i/e' or 'o/u'.
Phrase Cards
Fun Fact
Some Filipino words are borrowed from Spanish, like 'bintana' (window) and 'mesa' (table).
Fun Fact
One of the longest Filipino words is 'pinakanakapagpapabagabag-damdamin,' meaning 'the most emotionally disturbing.' It is built by stacking little word-parts together, which is how Tagalog makes very long words.
Cultural Note
The Philippines is one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world. English is widely used and understood by many Filipinos.
Vocabulary
Compare the languages spoken in the Philippines with those in other multilingual countries like India or Switzerland.
