Skip to content

makabayan

patriotic

adjective ma-ka-ba-YAN DERIVED Less Common
Illustration of the root word "bayani" (hero)
Illustration from root: bayani

From root: bayani

Usage Note

Makabayan describes someone who is nationalistic or shows deep love for their country. It is frequently used in schools to encourage civic duty.

Examples

Beginner

" Makabayan ang aming guro. "

Natural Translation

Our teacher is patriotic.

Literal Translation

Patriotic the our teacher.

Intermediate

" Maging makabayan tayo sa bansa. "

Natural Translation

Let's be patriotic to the country.

Literal Translation

Become patriotic we to country.

Advanced

" Hindi lang sa pagkanta ng pambansang awit nasusukat ang pagiging makabayan ng isang mamamayan. "

Natural Translation

Being patriotic as a citizen is not measured only by singing the national anthem.

Literal Translation

Not only in singing of national anthem measured the being patriotic of a citizen.

Free · iOS & Android

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 work

Word family

bayani has 7 related forms built from the same root.

See all

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.