basura
basúra with stress marks
trash, garbage
Usage Note
Basura is the everyday word for trash or garbage, borrowed from Spanish basura. It is used for household waste, litter on the street, and discarded items of all kinds. Environmentally, it appears prominently in anti-littering campaigns and waste management discussions. Figuratively, Filipinos may call something basura to mean it is worthless or of very low quality.
Examples
" Itapon mo ang basura. "
Natural Translation
Throw away the trash.
Literal Translation
Throw you the trash.
" Huwag itapon ang basura sa kalye — gamitin ang tamang basurahan. "
Natural Translation
Don't throw garbage on the street — use the proper trash bin.
Literal Translation
Don't throw the trash on-the street — use the proper trash-bin.
" Kung hindi tayo magtutulungan, lulubog sa basura ang ating bayan sa loob ng ilang taon. "
Natural Translation
If we don't help each other, our town will be buried in garbage within a few years.
Literal Translation
If not we will-help-each-other, will-sink in trash the our town within of some years.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workDerived Words
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Spaced Repetition for Tagalog: How Flashcards Make Words Stick
Cramming Tagalog vocabulary fails. See how spaced repetition — the science behind smart flashcards — makes words stick for the long term.
Languages of the Philippines: Tagalog, Cebuano, and More
Languages of the Philippines: one national language (Filipino) plus 180+ regional languages. Here's who speaks what, where, and why it matters to you.
Tagalog Verb Conjugation: Aspects Made Simple
Tagalog verb conjugation uses aspects, not tenses. Learn the three aspects with -um- and mag- verbs, one reduplication rule, and clear example tables.
Tagalog Word Order: Sentence Structure Made Simple
Why Tagalog puts the verb first, and how ang, ng, and sa markers work. A clear guide to VSO word order, forming questions, and negation.