Tagalog Consonants

The following consonants are used in native Tagalog words.

consonant

corresponding sound in English

b  

but

d  

do

g  

go

h  

ham

k  

cat

l  

left

m  

man

n  

no

ng  

ringing [IPA symbol: ŋ]

p  

tip

r  

run

s  

sea

t  

store

w  

we

y  

yes

Note:

1. /k/, /p/ and /t/ are not aspirated, that is, there is no puff of air after them.

To hear the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, say kill and skill out loud. In most dialects of English, /k/ is aspirated in kill and unaspirated in skill. Similarly, /p/ and /t/ are aspirated in pill and till but not in spill and still.

2. /ng/ can also be found at the beginning of a word in Tagalog (e.g. ngayon   today, now). You can practise the initial /ng/ sound by saying ringing, ri…nging.

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Tagalog grammar book

From Essential Tagalog Grammar by Fiona De Vos
Part of Learning Tagalog: Fluency Made Fast and Easy
Want to speak Tagalog fluently? Learn more

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