bahay kubo
báhay kúbo with stress marks
nipa hut
Usage Note
Bahay kubo is the iconic traditional Filipino dwelling made of bamboo and nipa palm, elevated on stilts. It is also the title of a beloved Filipino folk song listing vegetables grown around the hut. The image of the bahay kubo represents rural simplicity and is a strong symbol of Filipino cultural identity taught to every schoolchild.
Examples
" May bahay kubo sa bukid. "
Natural Translation
There is a nipa hut in the field.
Literal Translation
Have nipa-hut in field.
" Itinayo nila ang isang bahay kubo sa may lawa. "
Natural Translation
They built a nipa hut near the lake.
Literal Translation
Built they the a nipa-hut at near lake.
" Sa probinsiya ng lola ko, may lumang bahay kubo na yari sa kawayan na tinitirhan pa rin nila tuwing tag-araw. "
Natural Translation
In my grandmother's province, there is an old nipa hut made of bamboo that they still live in every summer.
Literal Translation
In province of grandmother my, have old nipa-hut that made of bamboo that lived-in still they every summer.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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